Can I use the dental compact right now?

No. As of October 2026, CSG says compact privileges are not yet being issued. The Commission has no application process, no fee rule and no published start date. To practice in another state now, you need a license from that state.

Does the dental compact cover sedation permits?

No. The CSG FAQ says practitioners must still meet each state's requirements for sedation and anesthesia permits for dentists and local anesthesia for hygienists. Specialty licenses are also still required where a state demands one.

Can foreign-trained dentists use the dental compact?

No. The compact requires a CODA-accredited predoctoral DDS or DMD program. The FAQ says dentists who cannot meet that requirement, such as foreign-trained dentists, are not eligible, even with a CODA-accredited residency.

Does my compact state license have to be in the state where I live?

Under the model law, no. A privilege continues as long as you keep a qualifying license in the state through which you applied and pay any renewal fees. You must still report your primary residence to the Commission.

The Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, Explained

The Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact is an agreement among states that would let a dentist or dental hygienist licensed in one member state practice in another member state through a "compact privilege" instead of a second full license. The Council of State Governments (CSG) built the model law with the Department of Defense, the American Dental Association and the American Dental Hygienists' Association. As of October 2026, 13 states have enacted it.

The catch is simple and important: nobody can use it yet. CSG's own compact site says the compact "has reached activation status, however compact privileges are not yet being issued." There is no application, no fee and no published start date. Every dentist and hygienist who needs to practice in another state today still needs that state's license.

What would a compact privilege actually be?

The model law defines a compact privilege as "the authorization granted by a Remote State to allow a Licensee from a Participating State to practice as a Dentist or Dental Hygienist in a Remote State." It is not a license, and it is not a national credential. It is permission from one specific state, tied to a license you already hold in another member state.

The CSG FAQ calls the compact "a mutual recognition model compact similar in form and function to professional licensure compacts for nurses, physical therapists and psychologists." It also calls it "an optional, additional pathway." Licensure by credentials, endorsement and examination all stay in place in every member state.

A privilege would be state by state. The FAQ explains that "dentists and dental hygienists need to obtain individual compact privileges in each state where they want to practice." A dentist in Ohio who wanted to see patients in Virginia and Washington would hold two privileges, each with its own fees and any jurisprudence requirement those states set.

Who would qualify for a privilege?

Section 4 of the model law lists what a licensee must do to obtain and keep a privilege. In plain terms, you would need to:

Hold a "Qualifying License," meaning a license that is not encumbered, issued by a participating state.
Not hold an encumbered license in any other participating state.
Have passed a National Board examination of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE), or another exam the Commission accepts by rule.
Have graduated from a program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA): a predoctoral DDS or DMD program for dentists, or a dental hygiene program for hygienists.
Have "successfully completed a Clinical Assessment for licensure."
Meet any jurisprudence requirement the remote state sets, and pay the Commission and remote-state fees.
Report your primary residence, report adverse actions taken by non-member states, and consent to service of process by mail.

The FAQ adds that applicants must have "passed a background check prior to obtaining their qualifying license." Member states agree to run fingerprint-based criminal background checks as a condition of joining.

One rule surprises people. Unlike some other compacts, the qualifying license does not have to be in the state where you live. Section 4.B says the privilege continues "as long as the Licensee maintains a Qualifying License in the State through which the Licensee applied for the Compact Privilege and pays any applicable Compact Privilege renewal fees."

Who is left out by design?

Foreign-trained dentists. The FAQ is direct: the compact requires a CODA-accredited predoctoral program leading to a DDS or DMD, and "Dentists who are not able to satisfy this requirement, such as foreign trained dentists, are not eligible to apply for compact privileges." That holds even for a dentist who later completed a CODA-accredited residency or specialty program in the United States. Our post on licensure paths for foreign-trained dentists covers the state routes that remain.

Dental assistants and EFDAs are also outside it. The compact covers general dentistry and dental hygiene licenses only.

Does a privilege cover sedation, specialties or hygienist anesthesia?

No. The FAQ says: "If a state requires additional testing, training, or permits/certifications to perform certain procedures (e.g., sedation/anesthesia permits for dentists, or administration of local anesthesia for dental hygienists), practitioners would be required to complete those requirements."

Specialty licensure works the same way. Where a remote state requires a specialty license to limit practice to a specialty, "the practitioner would also be required to obtain that specialty license." A privilege would let you practice general dentistry or dental hygiene within the remote state's scope of practice, and nothing more. See dental sedation and anesthesia permits by state and specialty licenses and permits for dentists for what those separate filings involve.

How would continuing education and discipline work?

Continuing education would follow the qualifying license. The FAQ says practitioners complete CE "in the state where they hold a qualifying license" and "do not complete continuing education in remote states where they hold compact privileges."

Discipline stays local. The member state that issued your license keeps exclusive authority to act against that license, and a remote state can act against the privilege it granted. The Commission itself "is not a dental board. It cannot affect state licensing requirements or take action against a licensee," according to the FAQ.

Military families get one concession in the model law. Section 5 says an active military member and their spouse "shall not be required to pay to the Commission" the Commission's privilege fee, and a remote state may reduce or waive its own fee.

Which states are in it?

CSG's compact map lists 13 enacted states as of October 2026: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Bills are pending in Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. California, Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia are not members. Our post on which states have joined the dental compact has the bill numbers and what "enacted" does and does not mean for each state.

Why can no one use it yet?

A compact needs a commission, rules, a data system that every member board can read, and an application process. CSG's implementation timeline, published when the seventh state enacted the compact on April 22, 2024, said the compact "will not be fully operational for an estimated 18-24 months" and that the data system alone would take 10 to 12 months, followed by state onboarding on "varying timelines."

That window has passed. The Commission's minutes show a data system vendor approved in November 2025 subject to securing funding, a finance report in January 2026 that "an additional $96,000 would be needed," and a core rule on what counts as a "clinical assessment" still moving through public hearings in mid-2026. The full story is in why the dental compact is not issuing privileges yet. CSG has published no launch date, and neither will we.

Should you wait for the compact or apply for a license now?

For almost everyone, apply now. Three reasons:

There is no date. A start date that does not exist cannot be planned around. A job offer, a DSO expansion or a move can.
The big states are outside it. If the state you need is California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia or Illinois, the compact will not help even after it opens.
The add-ons never move. Sedation permits, hygienist local anesthesia permits and specialty licenses stay state filings with or without a privilege.

A full license also does something a privilege would not: it stands on its own. If you later move your qualifying license or let it lapse, a separate state license is unaffected. For the license routes that work today, start with dental license by credentials and the state-by-state license index.

Can anyone apply for a compact privilege on your behalf?

No privilege application exists yet, so nobody can apply for one, including us. When the Commission does open applications, the model law makes the steps personal: the licensee must "submit to an application process," report a primary residence, and consent to service of process. We sell no compact product, and we never ask for any portal login.

What we do sell is preparation for the license you can get today. A Dental Licensure Readiness Review is $149 and maps which states accept your exam history and years of practice. Our Dentist License by Credentials service is $799 per state, and a Dental Hygienist License is $449 per state. We prepare every supporting document, a question-by-question guide, the verifications and the scheduling, and we track the file with the board. You complete, sign, pay the board and submit the application yourself, and board fees are separate. The dental compact hub tracks the Commission's progress so you will know if anything changes.