Practicing In A New State Is About To Get A Whole Lot Easier

Moving to another state may become easier for dental health care providers. Especially if you are moving to a state part of the Dental and Dental Hygienist Compact Agreement.

Over the last couple of years, the American Dental Association (ADA), American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA), and the Department of Defense (DOD) have collaborated with the Council of State Governments (CSG) on efforts to create systems and legislation for license portability. This license compact allows dentists and hygienists to practice in the compact member states without further examination.

This movement couldn’t come at a better time as healthcare, including
dentistry, is experiencing a workforce shortage. According to the compact agreement outline, the purpose is to reduce the burden of additional examination and licensure, increase workforce personnel, and increase public health efforts, to name a few. While the compact is not officially in effect yet, it is making great strides.

As of this writing, Iowa, Washington, and Tennessee are the first three
states to have enacted this process into the legislative system. Kansas,
Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are the next four states to consider it.

If you want or need to move to a different state, make sure you take a moment to see if that state has agreed to be a part of the compact and when the compact takes effect. The best way to do this is to visit the state’s dental board website.

For more information, go to the Dentists and Dental Hygienist Compact at https://ddhcompact.org/ and https://compacts.csg.org/compact-updates/dentistry-and-dental-hygiene/