The American Association of Dental Boards (AADB) is pleased to announce that seven states—Oklahoma, Missouri, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Texas, and now Kentucky—are taking a significant step toward improving workforce mobility by introducing legislation to join the Interstate Dental & Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact (IDDHLC). This initiative seeks to streamline licensing, uphold rigorous patient safety standards, and reinforce state authority over dental regulations. Bills are expected to be introduced in other states soon.
“The IDDHLC upholds the highest standards of patient safety and professional competence while establishing a uniform criteria for dental standards, just like medical standards,” said Arthur Chen-Shu Jee, DMD, President of the Board of Directors of AADB. “By maintaining rigorous standards, including the notoriously challenging hand-skills examinations, we’re ensuring that only qualified dental professionals can practice across state lines.”
A recent survey of 1,863 registered U.S. voters, conducted from December 30, 2024, to January 9, 2025, found that 82% of Americans agree hand skills examinations are necessary to assess a dentist’s ability to perform procedures safely. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.28 percentage points.
Source: Seven States Introduce IDDHLC Legislation / American Association of Dental Boards