2.4 The Health Access Dental License: Grant, Renewal, Revocation & Repeal

The Health Access Dental License — s. 466.0067, F.S.

This licence is one of the most misdescribed items in Florida dental jurisprudence. It is not a general licensure-by-endorsement pathway, and the criteria are not "20 of the preceding 24 months." Read the statute's own framing:

"The Legislature finds that there is an important state interest in attracting dentists to practice in underserved health access settings in this state and further, that allowing out-of-state dentists who meet certain criteria to practice in health access settings without the supervision of a dentist licensed in this state is substantially related to achieving this important state interest."

That sentence explains the whole instrument. Florida wanted experienced out-of-state dentists in county health departments, federally qualified health centres, and non-profit clinics, and it was willing to waive s. 466.006 for them — but only inside those settings.

The twelve grant criteria — s. 466.0067(1)–(12)

The Board shall grant the licence, notwithstanding s. 466.006, to an applicant who:

1. Files an appropriate application approved by the Board.
2. Pays an application licence fee, a laws-and-rules examination fee, and an initial licensure fee. The statute requires these fees not differ from those charged to an applicant under s. 466.006.
3. Has not been convicted of or pled nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, any felony or misdemeanour related to the practice of a health care profession.
4. Submits proof of graduation from a CODA-accredited dental school.
5. Submits documentation of having completed — or of obtaining before licensure — continuing education equivalent to Florida's requirement for dentists licensed under s. 466.006 for the last full reporting biennium before applying.
6. Submits proof of successful completion of parts I and II of the National Board of Dental Examiners dental examination and a state or regional clinical dental licensing examination the Board has determined effectively measures the ability to practise safely.
7. Currently holds a valid, active dental licence in good standing — not revoked, suspended, restricted, or otherwise disciplined — from another U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory.
8. Has never had a licence revoked from another state, D.C., or a U.S. territory.
9. Has never failed the examination specified in s. 466.006, unless the applicant was reexamined under s. 466.006 and received a Florida dental licence.
10. Has not been reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank, unless the applicant successfully appealed to have the name removed.
11. Submits proof of active clinical practice providing direct patient care for the 5 years immediately preceding the application — or, if the applicant graduated from an accredited dental school within the preceding 5 years, proof of continuous clinical practice providing direct patient care since graduation.
12. Has passed an examination covering the laws and rules of the practice of dentistry in this state as described in s. 466.006(4)(a).

Criterion 12 is why this section belongs in your examination preparation at all: the FDLR is required for the health access dental license exactly as it is for licensure by examination.

Renewal — s. 466.00671

A health access dental licensee applies for renewal each biennium and, at renewal, signs a statement that they have complied with all continuing education requirements of an active dentist licensee. The Board renews for an applicant who:

• Submits employer documentation, as approved by the Board, from the health access setting confirming that the licensee has at all times pertinent remained an employee;
• Has not been convicted of or pled nolo contendere to any felony or misdemeanour related to the practice of a health care profession;
• Has paid a renewal fee set by the Board, which may not differ from the renewal fee adopted under s. 466.013 — and which the Department may fund through the dentist's salary, benefits, or other Department funds;
• Has not failed the s. 466.006 examination since initially receiving the licence or since the last renewal; and
• Has not been reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank unless successfully appealed.

The employment-verification requirement is the structural heart of the licence: it is tied to employment in a health access setting, so leaving that employment is a renewal problem, not merely an address change.

Revocation and repeal — ss. 466.00672 and 466.00673

Section 466.00672 addresses revocation of the health access dental license, and s. 466.00673 addresses repeal of the licence. Together with the grant and renewal sections they form a four-section cluster in the statute book; candidates who memorise only "466.0067" tend to miss questions that turn on which of the four applies.

The upgrade path back to full licensure

The health access dental license is not a dead end. Recall from section 2.1 that s. 466.006(2)(c)2. lets a health access dental licensee substitute service hours for the national board requirement when applying for full licensure by examination — 5,000 hours within 4 consecutive years of direct patient care in a health access setting, reduced to 3,000 hours within 3 consecutive years for a retired veteran dentist who practised on active duty, or for an applicant who devoted part of their salaried time to teaching health profession students in a public education setting.

Rule 64B5-2.0142

Rule 64B5-2.0142, F.A.C., "Application for Health Access Dental License," carries the application mechanics. Rule 64B5-15 sets the fee amounts. Because s. 466.0067(2) requires parity with s. 466.006 fees, a change to the ordinary application fee moves this licence's fee with it.