An Act To Increase Access to Oral Health Care

Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §1082,  as amended by PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §64, is further amended to read:

§ 1082. Qualifications

Before receiving a license to practice dentistry in this State, a person must be at least 18 years of age and must be a graduate of or have a diploma from a dental college, school or dental department of a university accredited by an agency approved by the board or be a graduate of a foreign university considered satisfactory to the board.

Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §1085,  as amended by PL 2005, c. 45, §2, is further amended to read:

§ 1085. Endorsement; fees

The board is authorized, at its discretion, without the examination as provided, to issue a license to an applicant who furnishes proof, satisfactory to the board, that the applicant has been licensed for at least 3 years to practice dentistry in another state or a Canadian province after full compliance with the requirements of its dental laws. If an applicant is licensed to practice dentistry in another state or a Canadian province, that applicant's professional education may not be less than is required in this State and the applicant must have been at least 3 years in actual practice in the state or Canadian province in which the license was granted. Applicants for licensure by endorsement who meet the requirements of this section must be interviewed in person by the board or members of the board, prior to being issued a license. The personal interview may be waived at the board's discretion based upon proof of overseas military deployment; however, the applicant shall submit to an interview by telephone or the equivalent as determined by the board. Every license of this type issued by the board must state upon its face the grounds upon which it is issued and the applicant may be required to furnish proof upon affidavit. The fee for the license is determined by the board, but may not be more than $550.

summary

This bill expands the requirements for receiving a license to practice dentistry in this State to allow graduation from a foreign university considered satisfactory to the Board of Dental Examiners and removes the requirement that applicants for licensure by endorsement that are licensed to practice in another state meet the State's professional education requirements.