78 FUTURE OFDENTISTRY

Licensure and Regulation

of Dental Professionals

CHAPTER

5

Dentistry is a highly respected profession for many reasons. As individuals, dentists provide a valued serv-

ice in their communities, enjoy strong relationships with their patients and are much regarded for their

integrity, compassion and skills. Representatives of dentistry serve on state and regional regulatory boards

as advocates for the public welfare. As a profession, dentistry maintains a clear commitment to high per-

formance standards, life-long learning and support for strict accreditation standards of dental school pro-

grams and state licensure requirements.

State licensure requirements and scope of practice regulations, while serving to protect the public, can also

have unintended and unfortunate consequences. Differences among states' rules can impede professional

mobility and make it difficult for the dental workforce to respond to changes in the demand for skilled den-

tal personnel, due to demographic changes in states or regions.

Differences among state Scope of Work regulations may also force some personnel out of the labor pool-

particularly hygienists––if they must move to another state and find that they are required to take a battery

of courses or exams to meet their new state's licensure requirements. Conversely, if their new home state

defines Scope of Work more restrictively than their training allows, hygienists may not find it financially or

professionally rewarding to continue their professional careers.

Further, differences among states may discourage the emergence of national consensus on dental curricu-

la development. While dental educators work to build strong and innovative programs, reality may require

that they keep a close eye on their students' facility with the material known to be key in their state exami-

nations.

This chapter reviews dental licensure and regulation and identifies strategies to strengthen mechanisms that

assure professional conduct and performance. The chapter considers:

u The scope of practice and licensing requirements for general and specialty dental practice and for allied

dental health practice;

u Criteria for licensure and alternative approaches to traditional licensure examinations;

u Current procedures for assessing dentists' initial and continued competencies; and,

u The changing roles of federal, state, and local regulation of dental professionals.

CHAPTER OVERVIEW