History of WREB

The concept of a regional testing service originated with Dr. Martin Kolstoe of Oregon. Dr. Kolstoe was the prime organizer who worked diligently to assure the success of the regional testing concept. His original idea was to have a Northwest Regional testing service, and he gathered testing information from a variety of sources. As time went by, his horizons broadened, and the idea of a Western Regional Board was born.

The idea was further explored in 1975 at a joint meeting of the American Association of Dental Examiners and the Western Conference of Dental Examiners and Dental School Deans. The idea of a Western Regional Board was discussed among the thirteen states of the Western Conference. Utah was looking for an affiliation of this type, since they did not have a proper facility for conducting examinations, and was forced to use hotels, prisons, etc. as examination sites. During the meeting, Utah made an arrangement with Oregon to have a simultaneous examination.

In November of 1976, the states formally incorporated WREB (Western Regional Examining Board) and in June of 1977, the first exam was given under the auspices of the WREB in Oregon. Oregon withdrew from WREB in 1981, but rejoined in January 1992.

Arizona became a member in 1978, and in June 1978, the first exam was given with the three-state membership. The first Dental Hygiene exam was given in 1979.
In April of 1979, Montana became a member of WREB. It participated in its first WREB exam in June 1979.
In January of 1980, Colorado became a member of WREB. Colorado withdrew from WREB in 1983.
In March of 1985, Idaho became a member of WREB.
In July of 1987, Alaska became a member of WREB.
In January of 1988, New Mexico became a member of WREB.
In 1994, Texas and Oklahoma became members of WREB.
In 1995, Washington became a member of WREB.
In 2000, Wyoming became a member of WREB.
In 2006, California became a member of WREB (Dental Only).

In 2007, Missouri became a member of WREB.
In 2008, Kansas became a member of WREB.
In 2009, North Dakota became a member of WREB.
In 2010, California accepts Dental Hygiene WREB results.