The West Virginia Board of Dentistry recently pushed for an amendment to a bill that would grant universal licensure for dental professionals entering the state, therealwv.com reported March 4.
Five notes:
1. The state's Government Organization Committee met March 3 to discuss Senate Bill 458, which would guarantee license transfer for certain licensed professions when people move to West Virginia from a state in which they were already licensed.
2. Bill Klenk, DDS, the president of the West Virginia Board of Dentistry, testified before the committee and asked that dental professionals be excluded from the bill.
3. Although he supports the bill generally, Dr. Klenk said inclusion of dental professionals could lead to licenses being issued to dentists who have not taken a hand skill exam because not all states require this exam.
4. Sen. Mike Woelfel proposed an amendment be made to the bill to require a hand skill exam for all dentists moving to West Virginia, but senators voted against it.
5. The committee plans to discuss the bill again during its next meeting.