The Florida Dental Association is asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to approve a one-time waiver on certain dental licensure exam regulations amid the pandemic, according to local ABC affiliate WFTS-TV.
In April, the Florida Dental Association and Florida Board of Dentistry supported measures to waive the state's deep cleaning exam and allow dental examinees to perform exams on manikins. The governor would need to sign an executive order to approve the waiver.
Recent dental school graduates have been in a state of limbo since their licensure exams were canceled in March, unable to start their careers or pay off student loans.
These graduates have been experiencing difficulty bringing in patients to be subjects for the high stakes dental procedures their exams require, even after offering them incentives.
"Free dental work, $1,000 cash and we would pay for travel and housing and they just said they weren’t interested," recent Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine graduate Daniel May told WFTS-TV. "We’ve done everything we can, and now we have something we can’t control holding us back."
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