As of September 2026, thirteen states have now enacted the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, and it changes how licensed dentists and hygienists can work across state lines. If you have ever turned down a shift, a move, or a job offer because your license did not carry over, this is the update to pay attention to.
The Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, or DDH Compact, is an enacted agreement among member states that gives licensed dentists and dental hygienists an additional way to legally practice in states where they do not hold a license. Instead of applying for a new license from scratch, an eligible provider applies for a compact privilege, a faster and typically cheaper path to working across state lines.
The Compact Was Built to Cut Licensing Friction
The DDH Compact reached its seventh state in April 2024. That’s the number needed to bring it into effect, but that doesn’t mean privileges were available yet. It just meant the Compact Commission could officially be formed. It was developed through a cooperative agreement between the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the Department of War (DOW), which back occupational licensure compacts as a way to lower barriers for military families who relocate frequently.
Thirteen states currently participate: Kansas, Virginia, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Maine, and Minnesota. A state joins by enacting the compact’s model legislation, which locks in uniform eligibility standards for every privilege holder across the compact. Each member state’s licensing board appoints one representative to the Commission that administers the compact.
One caveat matters here. A provider cannot hold a compact privilege unless they hold a license, called the qualifying license, that was issued by a state that is also a compact member.
A Compact Privilege Is Not a New License
A compact privilege is legal authorization to practice in a remote, member state without holding a full license there. To qualify, a dentist or hygienist needs an active, unencumbered license from a compact member state, plus eligibility verification, completed jurisprudence requirements, and paid fees. Once those boxes are checked, the provider can legally begin working in the new state.
The appeal is speed and simplicity compared to applying for a separate license in every state. Application review moves faster, and the process is expected to take around 10 minutes once the data system is live. For military spouses who relocate on short notice, that turnaround is the difference between weeks without income and a near-immediate start date.
Cost is the second draw. Compact privilege fees are generally lower than a full license fee, which removes the financial friction of holding multiple state licenses just to stay flexible.
Administrative burden drops too. Continuing education requirements still apply, but only from the state where the provider holds their actual license, not from every state where they hold a privilege. Privilege renewal cycles sync with the provider’s qualifying license renewal, so there is one calendar to track instead of several.
Applying for a Compact Privilege Follows a Set Path
The application will run through the compact’s commission data system. A dental hygienist holding a qualifying, unencumbered license in a member state, and who has passed an FBI background check, applies for a privilege in the specific state where they want to practice.
Inside the data system, the licensee selects the state where they want the privilege, then completes self-attestation, confirming details like their qualifying state address and completion of jurisprudence requirements. Once fees are paid and all requirements are verified, the compact privilege is issued and the provider is authorized to practice in that remote state.
It is worth noting that compact fees have not been finalized yet, and the data system itself is still being built. Member states and providers cannot use it until that infrastructure is operational.
What This Means for Dental Hygienists, Dentists, and Offices
For hygienists and dentists, the compact is another lever for flexibility, alongside travel assignments and multi-state work that platforms like GoTu already support. A provider who holds a qualifying license and picks up compact privileges opens up shift availability in every member state, not just their home state.
For offices and DSOs operating across state lines, the compact narrows one of the bigger staffing bottlenecks: waiting on out-of-state license processing to fill an open chair. As more states join, sourcing licensed, privilege-eligible providers becomes a real differentiator for staffing partners.
GoTu already helps providers find shifts across state lines and helps offices fill open positions fast. As the DDH Compact’s data system comes online, it adds one more tool providers can use to say yes to more opportunities, and one more reason offices should work with a staffing partner built to move at the same speed. Providers ready to explore more flexible work can find open shifts near you, and offices looking to fill a shift can post a shift with GoTu.
