State lawmakers are addressing a number of challenges facing Texans and the state economy, including many that don’t get the media coverage they deserve, such as the worsening dental care crisis. Simply put, Texas does not have enough dentists and hygienists to meet current needs, let alone rising demand driven by population growth. Fortunately, the Legislature is considering a bipartisan solution that could bring swift relief: joining the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (DDHC).
Two companion bills filed in the Texas Legislature — Senate Bill 1109 and HB 1803 — would make Texas a member of this compact, enabling licensed dental professionals from other member states to practice in Texas without burdensome delays or redundant licensing hurdles. On March 31, the House Public Health Committee held a hearing on HB 1803, allowing Texans to hear firsthand about the compact’s benefits.
There are 2 interstate compact models for dentistry. This one, the DDH Compact, is overkill for any state like Texas, where they need an influx of dentists. The alternative compact, written by AADB, is the right one for Texas (and most other states, too).
If Texas adopted the AADB Interstate Compact model, a dentist who wants to move to TX or wants to work part of the year in TX and part in their current home state, applies to the TX State Dental Board and pays a fee. The Tx Board then contacts the dentist’s home state to get the dentists credentialling papers used to grant the dental license in that state. The TX board does a background check, including any disciplinary actions in the home state, and issues a TX dental license if no flags are raised in their inquiries. Done in about 2 wks. This model parallels what physicians have for themselves.
The DDH Compact Model is more like a trucker’s license: Dentists have a home state license and the DDH Commission grants a “privilege” to practice in all the states in the compact. Of course, they too collect a fee for this and they do background checks, etc.
But why does any dentist wanting to come to Texas want or need a “privilege” to practice in umpteen states in the compact? They don’t. Who finds it convenient for dentists to have that much interstate flexibility? That would be the large employers of dentists and hygienists that can address their workforce shortages very simply with this format of an interstate license compact. They can also have their highest producers being booked for surgeries, implants, extractions, etc a day here, a day there, etc, etc moving all around… and they will not having any real relationship with their patients (who they just met, treated, and left at the end of the day)…and not being available for post-op complications or routine follow-up care. Itinerant dental surgeons put patients at higher risk. Yes, this abuse can happen without a compact. And yes, this abuse can occur with the other compact model. But the DDH Compact is most conducive to it, and is particularly convenient for successful expansion and profits for the players in The Big Business of Dentistry.
Texas dentists: please consider that nobody has any obligations to assist the profiteers in Big Dentistry. The AADB Compact will meet the same kinds of needs for dentists who have their personal reasons to get a dental license in TX. Likewise, it works if TX dentists have personal needs/wants for a license in another state. I urge you to not help Big Dentistry get bigger. Say NO to the DDH Compact model.