The Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (DDH Compact) professional license has progressed rapidly since its development in early 2023.1 In 2024, it reached a pivotal milestone by gaining support from seven states to form a compact, bringing the possibility of dental professionals practicing in multiple states with just one license even closer to reality. With seven states having accepted the proposed dental professional compact license, it is now in the enactment state.1 However, all states that have enacted the compact license must now agree on the possible legislation for it.
The DDH Compact is enacted but not activated, meaning that all the details have not been worked out yet. The dental hygiene license must have strict rules to enforce its reliability.
Some have argued that having a compact license would do more harm than good because it could make it easier for some professionals to qualify with lower standards of dental boards, since some states do not require the same credentials for licensure.2
Others argue that the severe shortage of dental professionals nationwide could be alleviated by the compact license, as dental professionals would be able to provide care in multiple locations, especially those near state borders.3
Addressing conflicting opinions
Due to the conflicting opinions about the potential benefits and drawbacks of a compact dental license, the National Center for Interstate Compacts is taking the necessary time to ensure that each state in the compact can voice its concerns through a representative at future meetings.4 The state representatives, or commissioners, are representatives of each state’s dental licensing board.4 They will convene with the other representatives over the next year or so to develop a standardized set of rules and bylaws that will make the DDH Compact license operational.4
Areas of agreement must include which boards to accept, how to develop a database of accepted licenses accessible to all states, and how to conduct proper background checks on potential applicants.4 These state representatives hope to have a dental professional compact license activated by the fall of 2025.4
More states on board
Since the enacted achievement in April 2024, when Maine became the seventh state to sign the DDH Compact license into legislation, two other states have also agreed to it—both Colorado and Minnesota signed the dental professional compact license in May 2024.1 Now, a total of nine states have accepted it, with three states still considering signing the dental compact into legislation.1 It would be wonderful to have 12 states making up the DDH Compact license when it finally becomes active.
Each time a new state enacts the professional dental compact license, that state must appoint a representative to review the drafted bylaws, rules, and database from the other state representatives.4 Currently, there is no limit on how many states can enact the compact license before it becomes active and available to applicants.
An impossible dream?
Surprisingly, many dental professionals are unaware of the possible compact license that’s in the works. Some feel that the compact license is an impossible dream that will never come to fruition. Others have no idea that the state in which they currently hold a license has already started the process of accepting the proposed compact license. Finally, some dental professionals fail to recognize the steps required to become licensed under the proposed DDH Compact license.
Dental professionals who wish to know more about the upcoming compact license need to stay abreast of the legislation process in local, state, and national organizations, as these organizations promptly announce further progress. Together, we can anticipate the realization of the DDH Compact license in 2025.
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Clinical Insights newsletter, a publication of the Endeavor Business Media Dental Group. Read more articles and subscribe.
References
- Dentist and Dental Hygienists Compact. The Council of State Governments. 2024. https://ddhcompact.org/news/
- Letter to the editor: recent counterpoint on DDH Compact contains inaccuracies. RDH magazine. April 5, 2024. https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/article/55002389/letter-to-the-editor-recent-counterpoint-on-license-portability-contains-inaccuracies
- ADA Health Policy Institute in collaboration with the American Dental Assistants Association, American Dental Hygienists’ Association, Dental Assisting National Board, and IgniteDA. Dental workforce shortages: data to navigate today’s labor market. October 2022. https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/dental_workforce_shortages_labor_market.pdf
- DDH Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. DDH Compact implementation timeline. The Council of State Governments. 2024. https://ddhcompact.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/04/Whats-Next-Resource-DDH.pdf
