Compact Could Boost Supply Of Dentists In Texas, As It Did For Doctors

Four years after Governor Greg Abbott and Texas legislators enacted a bill to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMCL), there is plenty of evidence that it has made Texas a less costly place for physicians to operate, translating into greater access to care and reduced costs for Texans. With two weeks remaining in the biennial session of the Texas Legislature, lawmakers are poised to pass a new reform that would apply a similar approach to rectifying the shortage of dental care providers afflicting many parts of Texas.

House Bill 1803, which the Texas House passed in April and is now awaiting consideration in the Senate, would make Texas the newest member of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (DDHC). Enactment of HB 1803 would allow dentists and dental hygienists licensed in all DDHC member states to treat Texans, quickly increasing the supply of oral health care providers. Twelve states have already joined the DDHC, with many more now considering membership.

A report by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center that was presented to the Texas House Public Health Committee in September 2022 highlights the benefits that have come with joining the IMLC and how it streamlined and expedited pathways for physician licensure, increasing the number of physicians available to treat Texans. MD Anderson noted that the cost reductions facilitated by that interstate compact saved health care providers millions and boosted the supply of physicians available to treat Texans by the hundreds.

“We have a moral obligation toward continuity of care,” Dr. Welela Tereffe, radiation oncologist and chief medical executive at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, told Texas Medicine. “Licensure across state lines through the [compact]

helps us uphold the responsibility that we have for them.”

DDHC proponents note that Texas would realize similar benefits from DDHC membership, increasing the supply of oral health care providers available to treat Texans in a way that helps bring down patient costs. While Texas ranks at or near the top of many indices measuring overall economic competitiveness, its fares poorly in national rankings measuring access to dental care. Texas is ranked number 25 when it comes to dentists per capita and is dead last place, ranked 50, when it comes to dental hygienists per capita.

Increasing access to dental care is about more than nice smiles. Research published by Mayo Clinic and others documents the association between oral health and overall health. Given the IMCL was approved with bipartisan, unanimous support in 2021, it’s clear many members of the Texas Senate are aware of the benefits that come with joining an interstate compact. They now have the opportunity to apply the same approach to the state’s shortage of dental care, but time is running out. While session adjourns June 2, this week is the last week for HB 1803 to be considered in Senate committee.