Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact
SB21 would enter Maryland into the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Interstate Compact. The bill creates a multistate framework allowing dentists and dental hygienists licensed in one participating state to obtain a “compact privilege” to practice in other participating states without obtaining a separate full license in each state, so long as they meet the compact’s requirements. Those requirements include holding an unrestricted qualifying license, passing the relevant national board exam, completing a clinical assessment, satisfying any remote-state jurisprudence requirement, paying applicable fees, and complying with reporting and service-of-process obligations.
The bill also establishes the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact Commission, a joint interstate body that would adopt rules, maintain a shared data system, coordinate licensure and disciplinary information, and oversee enforcement and dispute resolution among participating states. Maryland would be required to participate in the compact’s data-sharing and background-check framework, report adverse actions and significant investigative information, and recognize compact privileges from other participating states once the compact is active. The compact would not take effect in Maryland unless seven states enact substantially similar legislation, and Maryland’s enactment would become effective October 1, 2025, subject to that contingency.
SB21 would add a new subtitle to Maryland’s Health Occupations Article governing interstate practice for dentists and dental hygienists. It would create a new legal pathway for out-of-state practice through compact privilege rather than separate Maryland licensure, while preserving Maryland’s authority to regulate scope of practice, discipline licensees, and enforce its own jurisprudence and public-safety requirements. The bill would also require Maryland’s licensing authority to participate in interstate information sharing, criminal background checks, and reporting to the compact commission, and it would supersede conflicting state laws to the extent of any conflict with the compact.
The bill’s stated purpose is strongly pro-access and pro-workforce mobility, emphasizing reduced administrative burden, improved access to dental care, and help addressing workforce shortages. Although no committee transcript or recorded votes are provided, the bill text reflects a generally supportive policy posture toward interstate licensure portability, public protection, and military family mobility. The compact structure also suggests an effort to balance professional mobility with regulatory oversight.
The main policy tensions in the bill are between interstate portability and state regulatory control. Supporters would likely favor the streamlined practice pathway, while potential concerns center on the extent of rulemaking authority given to the interstate commission, mandatory data sharing, the effect of compact rules on state law, and how disciplinary actions in one state can affect practice privileges in others. Additional points of sensitivity include criminal background checks, confidentiality of investigative information, fees imposed by the commission or remote states, and the requirement that Maryland’s participation depends on seven states adopting substantially similar legislation.