By GoTu Marketing Team
June 3, 2025

For years, dental hygienists have advocated for the freedom to practice across state lines without red tape. Now, thanks to the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, that is becoming a reality. This new multi-state licensing agreement goes beyond convenience. It’s a step toward greater equity, expanded access to care, and a more empowered dental hygiene workforce.

What Is the DDH Compact?
The DDH Compact is an interstate agreement that allows licensed dental hygienists and dentists to practice in participating states without navigating the usual licensure by endorsement process. It’s like a passport for your license. Once you’re approved through the compact, you can work in any other member state without reapplying, retesting, or paying additional fees.

As of May 2025, 12 states have enacted legislation, and 12 more have legislation pending. This marks a major step forward in expanding opportunities for dental professionals to work across state lines with fewer barriers.¹

Why It Matters
The compact is not just a win for professionals seeking greater flexibility. It also addresses one of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. dental healthcare system by improving access to care.

As of March 2025, the Health Resources and Services Administration reports that nearly 60 million Americans live in areas with a shortage of dental health professionals.² These gaps are especially common in rural and underserved communities where hygienists may serve as primary providers of preventive care. Until now, crossing state lines meant dealing with a slow, inconsistent and often confusing licensure process.

The compact changes that. It creates a smoother path for hygienists to work where they are most needed, whether they are supporting a growing patient population, filling in during a local shortage, or relocating due to personal circumstances such as a spouse’s job.

Flexibility for a Changing Workforce
Dental hygienists today are more mobile than ever. They’re balancing family life, managing burnout, pursuing continuing education, and exploring more flexible career paths. For many, that includes temporary or short-term assignments in new states, but outdated licensing systems have not kept pace.

The DDH Compact helps modernize dental hygiene mobility by offering fewer administrative hurdles, such as repetitive paperwork and state-specific requirements, stronger workforce responsiveness during public health needs or local staffing shortages, and faster onboarding for roles in participating states. 

Whether you’re building a career across state lines or simply want the freedom to say yes to more opportunities, the compact helps make that possible. 

The Role of GoTu in the DDH Compact
As a dental talent marketplace designed to empower professionals, GoTu is proud to support the flexibility and freedom the DDH Compact makes possible. We believe hygienists should be able to utilize their skills where they are needed most, without being held back by outdated licensure barriers. 

That is why we are working with the Council of State Governments to raise awareness and advocate for compact adoption across the country. Together, we are working to bring this transformative initiative to more states and more professionals.

GoTu continues to share resources, promote education, and keep our community informed about what the compact means for their careers. We see the DDH Compact as a key step toward building a more connected, accessible and equitable dental workforce.

Are you curious if your state is participating, or do you want to get involved? Visit ddhcompact.org for updates, tools and ways to advocate.

What Comes Next
The compact is gaining momentum, but it still needs support to reach its full potential. Here is what to watch for in the future: 

• More states are expected to join as compact legislation continues to move forward 
• A centralized application portal, giving hygienists a simple way to apply 
• More education will be available on eligibility, requirements, and how to make the most of the compact 

Dental hygiene is evolving. It is no longer a one-state, one-license profession. It is a flexible and essential field that plays a critical role in preventive care, and now it finally has the structure to support that growth.

Access to care begins with access to practice. The DDH Compact isn’t just policy. It’s progress. For hygienists ready to grow, adapt, and make an impact, this is the shift that opens doors, and it’s only the beginning. Want to hear more about it? Check out this ADHA Podcast episode with Malia Taylor, RDH, a travel hygienist who’s earned licenses in nine states since 2019. She shares her experiences with multi-state licensing, the challenges, wins, and how the DDH Compact is making it all easier.

Resources To Share
GoTu partnered with the Council of State Governments and ADHA to create several DDH Toolkits that can be disseminated among your networks:

• Your License, Your Freedom A Hygienist’s Guide to the Compact
• Student Toolkit Your Guide to the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact
• Hiring Across State Lines A Compact Toolkit for Employers

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¹Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, accessed May 29, 2025, https://ddhcompact.org/.

²Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, As of March 31, 2025″ (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services).

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GoTu is a pioneering, technology-driven workforce solution and skill-sharing marketplace serving the dental industry. The platform allows dental offices to contract directly with registered dental hygienists, dental assistants and associate dentists to fill both short-term and permanent positions. Launched in 2019 as a response to the growing staffing crisis in the dental industry, the platform has connected more than 35,000 dental offices with more than 100,000 dental professionals. Founders and childhood friends Cary Gahm and Edward Thomas, in collaboration with Debra Simmons, RDH, have grown the Miami-based business from a bootstrapped startup to an institutional, investor-backed powerhouse with 150+ dedicated team members. For more information, visit gotu.com.