20 www.pagd.org \advocacy Dr. Casey welcomed all participants. The minutes from the July 2023 meeting were approved without amendment. Interstate Compacts Matthew Schaeffer from the Council of State Governments (CSG) Dentist and Hygienist Compact addressed the board. The compact was formed privately to achieve facilitation of multi-state practice for licensees. As delineated in the compact rules, a state legislature and executive branch would approve participation in the compact. A practitioner licensed in one of the participating states could then apply through the compact to practice in another compact state. Following a background check and application review, rather than being directly licensed in the other state, the practitioner would “hold compact privileges” and be allowed to practice in the other state. Mr. Schaeffer presented this compact as an alternative for mobile populations or traveling practitioners and is not meant as a takeover or primary licensure processes. It was developed with input from the Department of Defense, the American Dental Association, and the American Dental Hygienists Association. Similar compacts already exist for physicians and nurses. The Dentist and Hygienist compact has been adopted in Washington, Iowa, and Tennessee, and is under consideration in five other states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey. SBOD members inquired about other states and their licensure requirements. One of the states currently considering participation in the compact requires licensees to successfully pass the Dental Licensure Objective Structured Clinical Exam (DLOSCE), which is a multiple choice written exam determined to measure treatment planning knowledge, and does not require a hands-on clinical examination like Pennsylvania. Mr. Schaeffer indicated that this would require trust amongst compact member states that they adequately measure skill before licensure. The board asked about adverse actions. If a compact participant received a final adjudication from their licensed state, their compact privileges would be revoked for all compact participants. The board members displayed concerns in variances in clinical examination and different standards in practice would lead to compact participants in Pennsylvania that would not normally receive a license, either via credential or endorsement. Prosecutorial Report • The first case involved an immediate temporary suspension from the Probable Cause Screening Committee. The licensee was suspended in May 2023 after a criminal charge of indecent assault and harassment was filed. The claim made was that the licensee commented about a patient’s clothing and touched them inappropriately. During the adjudication process, a plea was reached where the assault charge was withdrawn, and the charges were reduced to disorderly conduct and harassment. As part of the plea, the licensee was placed on a probationary period where a monitor would be present for all female patients at the cost of the licensee. The consent agreement was adopted with some nays. • The next case involved a practitioner that received a DUI in 2018 and did not report it on in their 2019 relicensure. Then in 2021, the licensee was cited for public drunkedness and another DUI in June 2022. The licensee was admitted for alcohol use disorder and was participating in a monitoring program while in treatment. The consent agreement requires participation for three years in the drug monitoring unit. As the licensee is paying for the cost of treatment and is not employed, no costs or financial penalties were assessed. ADEX Dr. Jack Erhard presented on behalf of the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX). Nearly every state accepts ADEX supervised testing for licensure purposes. Dr. Erhard encouraged all SBOD members to participate as examiners in ADEX. Dr. Erhard detailed the changes to ADEX licensure exams. By 2025, all ADEX exams will be completed on State Board of Dentistry Report Meeting Summary September 8, 2023
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