Taxonomy codes / Dental Providers

20 codes · 7 classifications · Individual

Dental Providers

The NUCC group “Dental Providers” holds 20 taxonomy codes across 7 classifications. 3 of them map to a Medicare specialty in CMS's crosswalk. All are codes for individual providers, used on a Type 1 NPI.

24JNPI1234567893125K00000XAdvanced Practice Dental Th…1234
  1. 1First code in the group 125K00000X
  2. 2Codes 20
  3. 3With a Medicare crosswalk 3
  4. 4Classifications 7
Advanced Practice Dental...1Dental Assistant1Dental Hygienist1Dental Laboratory Technician1Dental Therapist1Dentist14Denturist1
Codes per classification in Dental Providers, bars to scale. Source: NUCC 26.1.

Advanced Practice Dental Therapist

An Advanced Practice Dental Therapist is:<br/>(1) A dental therapist who has completed additional training beyond basic dental therapy education and provides dental services in accordance with state advanced practice dental therapist laws or statutes; or<br/>(2) A dental hygienist with a graduate degree in advanced dental therapy prepared for independent and interdependent decision making and direct accountability for clinical judgment across the dental health care continuum.<br/>The individual has been authorized by the relevant state board or a tribal entity to provide services under the remote supervision of a dentist. The functions of the advanced practice dental therapist vary based on the needs of the dentist, the educational preparation of the advanced practice dental therapist and state dental practice acts and regulations. — NUCC definition of 125K00000X

CodeSpecializationMedicare specialty
125K00000X(general)—

Dental Assistant

An individual who may or may not have completed an accredited dental assisting education program and who aids the dentist in providing patient care services and performs other nonclinical duties in the dental office or other patient care facility. The scope of the patient care functions that may be legally delegated to the dental assistant varies based on the needs of the dentist the educational preparation of the dental assistant and state dental practice acts and regulations. Patient care services are provided under the supervision of a dentist. To avoid misleading the public, no occupational title other than dental assistant should be used to describe this dental auxiliary. — NUCC definition of 126800000X

CodeSpecializationMedicare specialty
126800000X(general)—

Dental Hygienist

An individual who has completed an accredited dental hygiene education program, and an individual who has been licensed by a state board of dental examiners to provide preventive care services under the supervision of a dentist. Functions that may be legally delegated to the dental hygienist vary based on the needs of the dentist, the educational preparation of the dental hygienist and state dental practice acts and regulations, but always include, at a minimum, scaling and polishing the teeth. To avoid misleading the public, no occupational title other than dental hygienist should be used to describe this dental auxiliary. — NUCC definition of 124Q00000X

CodeSpecializationMedicare specialty
124Q00000X(general)—

Dental Laboratory Technician

An individual who has the skill and knowledge in the fabrication of dental appliances, prostheses and devices in accordance with a dentist's laboratory work authorization. To avoid misleading the public, no occupational title other than dental laboratory technician or certified dental technician (when appropriate) should be used to describe this auxiliary. — NUCC definition of 126900000X

CodeSpecializationMedicare specialty
126900000X(general)—

Dental Therapist

A Dental Therapist is an individual who has completed an accredited or non-accredited dental therapy program and who has been authorized by the relevant state board or a tribal entity to provide services within the scope of their practice under the supervision of a dentist. Functions that may be delegated to the dental therapist vary based on the needs of the dentist, the educational preparation of the dental therapist and state dental practice acts and regulations. — NUCC definition of 125J00000X

CodeSpecializationMedicare specialty
125J00000X(general)—

Dentist

A dentist is a person qualified by a doctorate in dental surgery (D.D.S.) or dental medicine (D.M.D.), licensed by the state to practice dentistry, and practicing within the scope of that license. There is no difference between the two degrees: dentists who have a DMD or DDS have the same education. Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded. Both degrees use the same curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Generally, three or more years of undergraduate education plus four years of dental school is required to graduate and become a general dentist. State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the same scope of general dentistry. Additional post-graduate training is required to become a dental specialist. — NUCC definition of 122300000X

CodeSpecializationMedicare specialty
122300000X(general)C5 Dentist
1223D0004XDental Anesthesiology
A dentist who has successfully completed an accredited postdoctoral anesthesiology residency training program for dentists of two or more years duration, in accord with Commission on Dental Accreditation's Standards for Dental Anesthesiology Residency Programs, and/or meets the eligibility requirements for examination by the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology.
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1223D0001XDental Public Health
The science and art of preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting dental health through organized community efforts. It is that form of dental practice that serves the community as a patient rather than the individual. It is concerned with the dental health education of the public, with applied dental research, and with the administration of group dental care programs as well as the prevention and control of dental diseases on a community basis.
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1223E0200XEndodontics
The branch of dentistry that is concerned with the morphology, physiology and pathology of the human dental pulp and periradicular tissues. Its study and practice encompass the basic and clinical sciences including biology of the normal pulp, the etiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries of the pulp and associated periradicular conditions.
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1223G0001XGeneral Practice
A general dentist is the primary dental care provider for patients of all ages. The general dentist is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patients' oral health needs.
C5 Dentist
1223P0106XOral and Maxillofacial Pathology
The specialty of dentistry and discipline of pathology that deals with the nature, identification, and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. It is a science that investigates the causes, processes, and effects of these diseases. The practice of oral and maxillofacial pathology includes research and diagnosis of diseases using clinical, radiographic, microscopic, biochemical, or other examinations.
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1223X0008XOral and Maxillofacial Radiology
The specialty of dentistry and discipline of radiology concerned with the production and interpretation of images and data produced by all modalities of radiant energy that are used for the diagnosis and management of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region.
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1223S0112XOral and Maxillofacial Surgery
The specialty of dentistry which includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.
19 Oral Surgery (Dentist only)
125Q00000XOral Medicine
Oral Medicine is the specialty of dentistry responsible for the oral health care of medically complex patients and for the diagnosis and management of medically related diseases, disorders and conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region. Oral Medicine specialists have training and expertise in the diagnosis and management of oral and mucosal diseases, medical management of maxillofacial pathologies from hematology and oncology, organ transplant services, autoimmune disorders, including acute and chronic pain conditions of oral & maxillofacial region. Oral Medicine specialists co-manage oral and maxillofacial conditions and diseases in collaboration with medical specialists and other dentists in hospitals and outpatient medical clinics, particularly in the management of patients with complex medical conditions requiring multidisciplinary healthcare intervention.
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1223X2210XOrofacial Pain
A dentist who assesses, diagnoses, and treats patients with complex chronic orofacial pain and dysfunction disorders, oromotor and jaw behavior disorders, and chronic head/neck pain. The dentist has successfully completed an accredited postdoctoral orofacial pain residency training program for dentists of two or more years duration, in accord with the Commission on Dental Accreditation's Standards for Orofacial Pain Residency Programs, and/or meets the requirements for examination and board certification by the American Board of Orofacial Pain.
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1223X0400XOrthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
That area of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance and correction of the growing or mature dentofacial structures, including those conditions that require movement of teeth or correction of malrelationships and malformations of their related structures and the adjustment of relationships between and among teeth and facial bones by the application of forces and/or the stimulation and redirection of functional forces within the craniofacial complex. Major responsibilities of orthodontic practice include the diagnosis, prevention, interception and treatment of all forms of malocclusion of the teeth and associated alterations in their surrounding structures; the design, application and control of functional and corrective appliances; and the guidance of the dentition and its supporting structures to attain and maintain optimum occlusal relations in physiologic and esthetic harmony among facial and cranial structures.
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1223P0221XPediatric Dentistry
An age-defined specialty that provides both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs.
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1223P0300XPeriodontics
That specialty of dentistry which encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth or their substitutes and the maintenance of the health, function and esthetics of these structures and tissues.
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1223P0700XProsthodontics
That branch of dentistry pertaining to the restoration and maintenance of oral functions, comfort, appearance and health of the patient by the restoration of natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth and contiguous oral and maxillofacial tissues with artificial substitutes.
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Denturist

A denturist is a licensed professional that serves patients with removable dental prosthetic oral health needs. A licensed denturist is trained in removable dental prosthetics and the fabrication of such devices. — NUCC definition of 122400000X

CodeSpecializationMedicare specialty
122400000X(general)
A denturist is a licensed professional that serves patients with removable dental prosthetic oral health needs. A licensed denturist is trained in removable dental prosthetics and the fabrication of such devices.
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Medicare specialties in this group

3 of the 20 codes in Dental Providers map to 2 Medicare specialties. The enrollment figure is the number of NPIs enrolled in Medicare under that specialty nationally.

Medicare specialtyCodes mappedEnrolled NPIs
C5 Dentist26,038
19 Oral Surgery (Dentist only)13,692

Sources: NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set, version 26.1 (CSV); CMS Medicare Provider and Supplier Taxonomy Crosswalk, August 2026. Checked 2026-10-24.