IMP160 - Competing Dental and Dental Hygienist Compacts: What Dental Professionals Need to Know-IMP160 Article

IMP160 Article

Pdf Summary

The article explains two competing interstate licensing compacts designed to improve dental license portability: the Council of State Governments’ Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (DDHC) and the American Association of Dental Boards’ Interstate Dental & Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact (AADB Compact).<br /><br />The DDHC lets dentists and hygienists practice in other compact states through a “privilege to practice,” rather than issuing full licenses in each state. It is managed by CSG, a broader interstate compact organization. To qualify, professionals must hold an active, clean license in a compact state, meet education and background requirements, pass the National Board Examination, complete a clinical assessment, and satisfy jurisprudence and fee requirements. A major criticism is that the DDHC does not require hand-skills testing for dentists. DDHC implementation is underway; several states have enacted it, but the compact will not fully open to practitioners until the commission finishes its data system and onboarding process, expected into 2026.<br /><br />The AADB Compact is more traditional and board-centered. It creates a centralized licensure pathway in multiple states, but the actual license is issued by each compact state’s dental board. Its requirements are stricter in some ways, including CODA-approved education, specific exam standards, a full unrestricted license, and no serious criminal, disciplinary, or regulatory history. No state has yet adopted this compact.<br /><br />A state could theoretically adopt both compacts, but they operate differently and require separate legislation and commissions. The article also notes that military families are a key focus for portability efforts, and fee waivers apply under both compacts. AGD is monitoring both proposals but has taken no position on either.

Keywords

dental license portability

interstate licensing compacts

Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact

DDHC

AADB Compact

dental licensure

privilege to practice

compact states

military families

fee waivers