Washington, Tennessee and Iowa have all passed the Dental and Dental Hygienist Compact, a policy supporting license portability for dentists and dental hygienists.
The compact creates standardized credentials among participating states, increasing mobility for dentists and hygienists to provide care in more areas, according to a May 5 report from the American Dental Association.
Dentists and hygienists who are licensed in a participating state would be able to practice in another participating state in which they are not licensed, the report said.
In order for the compact to go into effect, it needs to be passed by at least seven states. According to tracking from the ADA Department of State Government Affairs, more than 12 states have interest in the legislation and compact.