MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) continues to find efficiencies that strengthen the state’s workforce. 

The Department announced earlier this month a recent vote by the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board that eliminates a redundant, post-graduate examination. This will speed up the licensing process for young dentists hoping to join Wisconsin’s workforce. 

“We’re looking at places where we can innovate and make common-sense changes that improve the licensing process in Wisconsin, while simultaneously meeting our public safety mission,” DSPS Secretary-designee Dan Hereth said after the vote. “DSPS will continue to diligently review our practices and credentialing requirements to find greater efficiencies for applicants, educators, the healthcare industry and all of our partners.  

The Dentistry Examining Board voted unanimously in its July meeting to make Marquette University’s School of Dentistry the administrator of practical examinations required to be a licensed dentist in Wisconsin. Currently, all applicants seeking a dentist license in the state must pass a written national exam, then undergo a practical examination administered by a third party. Marquette already included assessments of the same practical competencies in its own curriculum. The Board’s move to make the School of Dentistry the approved administrator for the practical exam enables Marquette students to satisfy this credentialing requirement prior to graduation.  

“This unanimously approved change keeps the emphasis on the dental graduates complete practical experience, and approving Marquette University School of Dentistry as a testing agency increases the speed of licensing for our state’s dental school graduates and creates an incentive for Wisconsin-trained dental students to seek licenses and practice in the Badger State,” said dentist and Dentistry Examining Board Chairperson Dr. Matthew Bistan.   

“The historic decision by the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board naming Marquette University School of Dentistry as a dental testing site will have a positive impact on the ability of our new graduates to deliver dental care immediately upon graduation. As part of a student’s clinical education, the School of Dentistry sends students on rotations to urban and rural areas of Wisconsin with large numbers of underserved patients to provide much needed care. Marquette University School of Dentistry is the State of Wisconsin’s only dental school, and similar to the diploma privilege to practice in place for law school students at both Marquette Law School and UW-Madison Law School, streamlining the licensure process for dentistry will be an additional tool to retain dentists to practice throughout the State,” said Dr. Conrad Nenn, Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs at the Marquette University School of Dentistry. 

The dental profession is one of many struggling to attract more workers in recent years. Data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services indicates Wisconsin is below the national average for dentists per 100,000 residents.   

The Wisconsin Dental Association, which represents more than 3,100 member dentists in Wisconsin, supports the Board’s decision. 

“This is a change many of our members have been calling for,” said Wisconsin Dental Association President, Dr. Chris Johnson of Eau Claire. “We’re proud to support this effort that maintains standards for excellence in dentistry while more efficiently moving young professionals into our state’s dental workforce.” 

This adjustment to licensing processes is the most-recent example of Wisconsin DSPS, under the Evers Administration, advocating for changes that improve efficiency of licensing in Wisconsin while maintaining the integrity of the process to ensure the safety of Wisconsin residents. Other recent efforts include a collaboration with the state Board of Nursing to adjust timing of credentialing requirements to facilitate faster approval to sit for the national nursing exam, and the development of a secure higher education portal that enables schools of nursing to better monitor and support students during the licensing process.