CHAPTER 485
An Act to direct the Virginia Department of Health Professions to convene a work group to provide recommendations related to regulations on changes to licensure requirements of dentists and dental hygienists to enhance access to quality dental care; report.
[H 2251]
Approved March 24, 2023
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. The Virginia Department of Health Professions shall convene a work group consisting of representatives of the Virginia Dental Association, the Virginia Dental Hygienists' Association, the Association of Dental Support Organizations, the Virginia Board of Dentistry, and other relevant stakeholders to analyze licensure requirements for dentists and dental hygienists in the Commonwealth and determine what changes to such requirements may be warranted, if any, to ensure access to affordable, quality dental care throughout the Commonwealth. The work group shall (i) compare licensure requirements for dentists and dental hygienists in the Commonwealth with such requirements in other states and the District of Columbia; (ii) analyze the number of licensed dentists in the Commonwealth relative to population growth and geography; (iii) identify the risks and benefits to the public if a licensure by endorsement pathway were to exist in the Commonwealth; and (iv) identify any other licensure pathways that would serve the public good. The work group shall report its findings along with any recommendations for legislation to the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by October 1, 2023.