Louisiana State Board of Dentistry (LSBD

LOUISIANA STATE BOARD OF DENTISTRY New Officers for the LSBD in 2023

By Dr. Donald Bennett President, Louisiana State Board of Dentistry

The holidays have arrived and that signals the end of the year for State Board activities. The last quarter has been relatively quiet for us.

One interesting development that has arisen is the idea of a licensing compact. This is the brainchild of the Department of Defense and they have provided some funding to explore and develop it. It would involve legislation that would be adopted by several states, which would construct a compact that will allow dentists and hygienists to move freely from one compact member state to another without having to be relicensed in each state.

The idea here is that military personnel and their families, who may be involved in the dental profession, would be able to be transferred from base to base without encountering a relicensing issue. Since no legislation has yet been passed in any state, it is unclear how this would look or what effect it would have on non-military personnel. It is also unclear if the Louisiana legislature would adopt this and

become a member of the compact. This may be something to watch in the next year or two. As a new year begins, we congratulate a new slate of officers: Dr. Thomas Price, president; Dr. Jay Dumas, vice president; and Dr. Jeetendra Patel, secretary-treasurer. It has been my honor and privilege to serve the dental community and the people of Louisiana!