Dental Practice Act Changes 

Advocate for the following changes to the dental practice act in North Carolina.

Health Information Exchange (HIE) – make dentist connection to HIE voluntary instead of mandatory.

Faculty Licensure – put extra guidelines in place for foreign-trained dentists. Currently, a dentist trained outside of the U.S. is allowed to practice once they achieve an instructor’s license. Under the proposed change, a foreign-trained dentist could practice only if they have been approved under credentialing standards of an accredited dental school and have been affiliated with that school for at least five years.

Manikin Exam Option – allow individuals seeking licensure as dentists to prove their clinical skills on manikins, in addition to human subjects.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Examinations – allow any medical, mental health, or substance abuse exam investigations mandated by the dental board to remain private and confidential. The dental board already has the authority to mandate such exams, but this provision would keep it out of the court system.