Dental Licensure Reaches a Crossroads: The Rationale and Method for Reform

Following calls to reform the dental licensure process, New York state has adopted an innovative approach that is responsive to the perceived shortcomings of the existing Part III examination. This solution eliminates the legally, psychometrically, and ethically compromised system, replacing it with a requirement that both ensures the public's protection and gives the new dentist additional experience in contemporary procedures in a supervised setting. The best preparation for the practice of dentistry is the practice of dentistry—something so profound and simple; yet it constitutes the core of New York's revolutionary reform. And the best way to measure that preparation for initial licensure is with the continual evaluation that occurs during the postdoctoral experience. New York is the first state to allow applicants for licensure to substitute the successful completion of a postdoctoral clinical program—a test in itself—for the traditional clinical licensure examination. The primary objective of this reform is to improve the quality of dentistry by elevating the standards for licensure. New York's expanded training protocol parallels that of medicine and reflects developments in the science and practice of the dental profession. The introduction of this new professional training model renders the clinical examination requirement obsolete. The fundamental principle of New York's new system is that a clinical examination is unnecessary to verify that a dentist is competent to enter practice following postdoctoral clinical training consisting of ongoing patient care, continuous oversight, mentoring, and evaluation.