Legislative breakthrough could enhance dental care in state
A bill designed to streamline dental licensure may be improving access to dental care in Delaware.
With just one dentist per less than 3,500 patients, the state has faced shortages and an aging population of dental professionals, according to a news report from Bay to Bay News. More than one-fifth of active dentists in the state are considering retirement and just less than 50% of them are older than 54 years. Because of the growing Delaware population and the lack of a dental school in the state, there is a critical need to recruit dentists from other states. However, dentists who desire to practice in Delaware must complete the Delaware dental board’s clinical examination to attain licensure.
In 2022, Delaware Sen. Sarah McBride introduced a bill to ease dental licensure requirements. The bill allows for dentists to commit to a certain number of hours at a federally qualified health center in Delaware for more than two years to receive a community health dental license. As a result, the number of practicing dentists per 1,000 residents has increased, thereby addressing some of the dental needs in the state and speeding up time to treatment for many patients.
Read more: Bay to Bay News
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