My View: We Are Stronger Together

The recent agreement between the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) is an encouraging sign for the future of dentistry. It represents more than progress on examinations and licensure. It reflects something the profession has needed for years: a willingness to work across old divides in service of patients, professional mobility, and the integrity of the profession.

I have followed issues surrounding licensure for a long time, going back to my time as president of the American Student Dental Association over twenty-five years ago. Even then, I could see that licensure was not simply a procedural hurdle at the end of dental school. It sat at the intersection of public protection, professional standards, mobility, and trust. Over time, I came to believe that how we handle licensure says a great deal about whether dentistry sees itself as a collection of competing factions or as a profession capable of solving hard problems together.

That belief deepened over the past eight years serving as a state board regulator. I have had the opportunity to see both the regulatory community and organized dentistry up close. Their roles are different, and they should be. Regulators exist to protect the public. Organized dentistry exists to advocate for the profession and help shape its future. Those missions are not identical, but they should not be treated as inherently opposing.

In recent years, the relationship between these communities has become increasingly strained. Distrust grew, motives were questioned, and positions hardened. More broadly, dentistry itself has often struggled with fragmentation among regulators, organized dentistry, specialty groups, testing entities, and others. Whether driven by philosophy, history, power, or personalities, that fragmentation has slowed progress and made it harder to serve both the profession and the public well. I have been a part of both groups, and my opinion is that each has been a part of the problem.

That is why this agreement matters.

It matters not only because it may simplify licensure pathways and support portability, but because it shows that trust can be rebuilt and that people with different roles and past disagreements can still move toward a common solution. From my vantage point, that may be the most important lesson. I have seen how far apart these communities have drifted, but I have also seen leaders from both groups move past prior challenges and work together for the betterment of the profession. That kind of progress does not happen by accident. It happens when people stay engaged, keep talking, and remain willing to work toward something larger than themselves.

Dentistry needs more of that mindset.

We should view this agreement not as the end of a conversation, but as an opening. The profession would benefit from continued movement toward a more unified licensure compact that reflects the realities of mobility for dentists and dental hygienists while preserving strong patient protections. We should also continue working toward greater alignment in licensure assessment so that competence, portability, and public trust are strengthened together.

Healthy debate within dentistry is inevitable. Different roles and perspectives will always exist. But when disagreement hardens into dysfunction, the profession suffers, and so do the people we serve. We are strongest when those with different responsibilities are still willing to see themselves as part of the same profession, accountable not only to their own constituency, but to a broader shared mission.

This agreement offers something worth recognizing, not perfection, but progress. Not uniformity, but cooperation. Not the erasure of differences, but the willingness to work through them.

It should also serve as a reminder to practitioners that the future of the profession is not something shaped only by national organizations, regulators, or a handful of leaders in formal positions. It is shaped by those willing to get involved.

If you are not happy with the state of the profession, get involved. That may mean serving your local dental society, mentoring dental students or new graduates, serving on a state board, helping develop examinations, or contributing in some other meaningful niche. Not everyone has to serve in the same way, nor should they, but all of us benefit when more people choose to be part of the profession rather than simply commenting on it from the sidelines.

Dentistry needs thoughtful people willing to engage, build, and help solve problems. This agreement is an important step. It should not be the last.