HB 322: Ga. Board of Dentistry; issuance of a dental or dental hygiene license for the sole purpose of teaching in an accredited dental, dental hygiene school, or academic medical center; revise provisions

Georgia law lets the Board of Dentistry issue a limited 'teacher's or instructor's license' to dentists so they can teach at accredited dental schools, advanced dental education programs, or training clinics, even without passing the normal licensing exam. Previously, dentists who graduated from a dental school not accredited by the American Dental Association had to complete extra years of supplemental coursework and get a dean's certification of equivalent competency before they could apply. House Bill 322 removes those coursework requirements and replaces them with a different set of conditions: the applicant must be or have been licensed to practice dentistry somewhere else, must have a letter of recommendation from the dean or director of the school where they have an actual job offer, must never have failed Georgia's dental licensing exam, must never have had a dental license revoked, and must hold current CPR certification. The bill also adds a new rule spelling out that this teaching license only allows practicing dentistry as part of the licensee's job duties at that school or affiliated training clinic, not elsewhere. It also updates the law to cover academic medical centers alongside dental schools.

• Removes the requirement that dentists from non-ADA-accredited schools complete extra years of supplemental dental coursework before applying for a teaching license.
• Requires applicants instead to show they are or have been licensed to practice dentistry in another state, country, or territory.
• Requires a letter of recommendation from the dean or director of the hiring school along with proof of an actual employment offer, verifying the applicant meets that school's credentialing standards.
• Adds new disqualifiers: applicants must never have failed the Georgia dental licensure exam or had a dental license revoked anywhere.
• Requires applicants to hold a current CPR certification.
• Adds a new subsection clarifying the teaching license only covers practice tied to the licensee's job duties at the accredited school or affiliated training clinic, not general practice.

Dentists trained outside ADA-accredited U.S. dental schools who want to teach at Georgia dental schools, dental hygiene programs, or academic medical centers; the Georgia Board of Dentistry, which issues and regulates these teaching licenses; and dental schools and academic medical centers that hire such instructors.

The changes make it easier for foreign-trained or otherwise non-ADA-accredited dentists to qualify for teaching positions in Georgia, since they no longer need years of extra coursework, but they must instead prove a job offer, licensing history, and clean disciplinary record. This could affect the pool of instructors available to Georgia dental training programs.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 43-11-42(a.1) to drop the prior requirement of completing supplemental dental education programs and dean certification for applicants from non-accredited schools.
• New requirements added: prior or current licensure elsewhere, a dean or director letter of recommendation with proof of an executed employment offer verifying credentialing standards, no history of failing the Georgia dental exam, no revoked license, and current CPR certification.
• A new subsection (b) limits the teaching license strictly to duties performed as an employee of the accredited school or in connection with its affiliated programs or training clinics.
• Renumbers and consolidates existing subsections on temporary public health licenses, license costs, and criminal background check consent, moving them to (c) through (f).
• Retains the requirement that all applicants pass a jurisprudence examination on Georgia dentistry laws and regulations, administered in English.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-09Act 88
3. 2025-05-09House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-31Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-03-31Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
8. 2025-03-31Senate Tabled (Senate)

• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)Primary sponsor
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-13)
• Matt Hatchett (R, HD-155)
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-15)
• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-53)
• Max Burns (R, SD-23)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   169 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 5 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #171

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   52 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 1 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #375

• dental licensing
• Georgia Board of Dentistry
• dental education
• professional licensing