(The Center Square) — Out-of-state dentists and dental hygienists could soon have an easier time getting licensed in Pennsylvania if an effort to expand health care access succeeds.
A proposed bill, Senate Bill 895, would grant the governor’s office the authority to join the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, a multi-state agreement that lets workers transfer their license from one state to another without repeating the process.
The compact follows similar efforts for cosmetology, teaching, school psychologists, and other licensed industries. The dental compact is in its early stages, however. Only Iowa, Tennessee, and Washington have passed legislation. Neighboring Ohio and New Jersey have introduced legislation to join the compact, as has Minnesota and Kansas.
“This legislation would help address the dental healthcare workforce shortage by making it easier for dentists and hygienists who hold a license in good standing from another state to come to Pennsylvania to practice,” Sen. Frank Farry, R-Langhorne, who introduced SB895, wrote in a legislative memo.
Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-Olyphant, has introduced identical legislation in the House. Both bills await action in their respective licensure committees.
A 2022 federal report found that 24 Pennsylvania counties were dental shortage areas and another 39 had partial shortages, Farry noted. “Over the last 10 years, Pennsylvania has consistently fallen below the national average on the number of dentists for every 100,000 residents,” he wrote.
Despite those numbers, the commonwealth has seen some positive growth. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania noted that the number of dentists in rural Pennsylvania grew by 17% from 2010-2020 and by 21% in urban areas.
The trend for rural oral health, though, is worrisome. Overwhelmingly, dental school graduates in Pennsylvania choose urban areas over rural areas. Comparatively few dentists accept Medicaid, too, which can limit access in rural areas.
Farry argued that the compact could be a boon for access and growing markets.
“The compact will benefit dentists and hygienists, and most importantly patients, by expanding opportunities to enter new markets where dental healthcare is needed most; regulators will see reduced administrative burdens and greater public safety though a shared data system; and the Commonwealth will see an enhanced dental healthcare workforce and greater consumer access to highly qualified practitioners,” he wrote.
The move for a dental compact follows other action in the General Assembly to reduce licensing barriers. In June 2022, Act 22 made it easier for foreign nurses to become registered nurses, as The Center Square previously reported. The state also passed a similar compact for nurse licensure and EMS workers.
The dental compact, though, may face a significant barrier like others have: the federal bureaucracy.
The nursing compact has been passed in Pennsylvania, but has not yet taken effect due to what Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt called “a very awkward and inefficient” approval process during a House Appropriations Committee hearing in March.
Rep. John Lawrence, R-West Grove, noted at the time that federal approval had held up the nursing compact for seven years.
The interest in interstate compacts has grown as occupational licensing requirements have grown. About 25% of the American workforce must now get a license for their job, compared to 5% 60 years ago, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
