License created to increase dental services to Florida's underserved populations

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Health (DOH) announced today receipt of the first three applications for the newly established health access dental license. The health access dental license, one of Governor Crist’s initiatives to increase access to dental services, was established by Senate Bill 2760 and became effective on January 1, 2009. The license permits the practice of dentistry in health access settings, including state agencies, federally qualified health centers, and educational institution clinics.

The new license was created to attract dentists to provide services to Florida’s underserved populations. This license allows out-of-state dentists who meet certain criteria to practice in health access settings without the supervision of a Florida-licensed dentist. To be eligible, applicants must have been engaged in the active, clinical practice of dentistry providing direct patient care for five years immediately preceding the date of application, or have graduated from an accredited dental school within the preceding five years and submit proof of continuous clinical practice providing direct patient care since graduation.

The mission of DOH and MQA is to promote, protect and improve the health of all people in Florida. Working in conjunction with 22 boards and six councils, MQA regulates seven types of facilities and 200-plus license types in more than 40 healthcare professions. MQA evaluates the credentials of all applicants for licensure, issues licenses, analyzes and investigates complaints, inspects facilities, assists in prosecuting practice act violations, combats unlicensed activity and provides credential and discipline history about licensees to the public. Visit [ http://www.flhealthsource.com ]www.flhealthsource.com for additional information about MQA. For more information about the health access dental license, visit http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/dentistry/dn_lic_req.html