Two New Directors Join Virginia Board of Dentistry

V I R G I N I A B O A R D O F D E N T I S T R Y

B R I E F S

August 2025

We're excited to announce the addition of two distinguished professionals to our Board of EEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jamie C. Sacksteder Directors: • Dr. Bruce Hutchison - joining us from Centreville, VA Welcome Our New Board Members!

• Dr. Jayson Smith - hailing from Bristol, VA DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Erin T. Weaver Their expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to protect the public. BOARD MEMBERS CE Audit Update - Spring 2025 Sultan Chaudhry, DDS The Board has officially launched Continuing Education (CE) audits beginning Spring President 2025. Here's what you need to know to stay compliant: Alf Hendricksen, DDS Review Annual CE Requirement for your license Vice-President

Please note: Online CPR courses are not accepted. CPR training must be hands-on

to meet regulatory standards. William Bigelow, DDS 󷃆󼽢 Audit Progress & Compliance Rates 󺠰󺠱• 46% of the audit has been completed. Surya Dhakar, DDS

• 81% of dentists are currently in compliance. 󹳨󹳤󹳩󹳪󹳫• 72% of dental hygienists are currently in compliance. Bruce Hutchison, DDS We encourage all licensees to review the CE regulations and ensure full compliance before

their next renewal. Margaret Lemaster, RDH

CE Broker: Your Free CE Tracking Tool J. Michael Martinez de

The Board officially recognizes CE Broker as its Continuing Education (CE) tracking Adino, JD

system. While using CE Broker is completely voluntary, all licensees are encouraged to

take advantage of its benefits, especially for CE audits. Emelia McLennan, RDH 󷃆󼽢 Free Basic Account: No payment is required to use the basic version. 󹹋󹹌 Easy Setup: Visit the Board's website for instructions on activating your free account. Jayson Smith, DMD 󹳸󹳺󹳹 Already Registered? Simply add your Virginia license to your existing CE Broker Jennifer, Szakaly, DDS account. Get familiar with CE Broker today--it's a helpful resource for staying on top of your CE

requirements. MAIL

denbd@dhp.virginia.gov

OMS Audit Update

The Board has initiated its triennial OMS audits for individuals holding a Cosmetic bodlicensing@dhp.virginia.gov Procedure Permit, as required by regulation. To date, 50% of the audit has been completed, EB PAGE Wwith the remainder actively underway. www.dhp.virginia.gov/dentistry PHONE: (804) 367-4538 Dental and Dental Hygiene Compact Virginia became a signatory to the Dental and Dental Hygiene Compact, thanks to the AX: (804) 698-4266 Fpassage of HB225 and SB22. This marks a major step toward increased licensure

portability and professional mobility for dental practitioners across participating states. ADDRESS Leadership Update: Jamie Sacksteder, Executive Director, has been appointed as 9960 Mayland Drive

Virginia's Commissioner to the Compact. She also serves as Secretary on the Executive Suite 300

Committee and is actively contributing to the Rules Committee. Henrico, VA 23233 Next Steps Toward Implementation:

• Finalizing and voting on compact rules by commissioners

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  Creating and adopting state regulations •

• Establishing a system for conducting background checks
  These are substantial undertakings that will take time to complete. While progress is underway, the earliest projected implementation of the compact is late 2026 to early

2027.

Licensure Workgroup SB1475

On August 22, 2025, a workgroup committee convened to discuss SB1475, focusing on licensure by endorsement--also known as reciprocity or credentialing--for dentists and dental hygienists. The group also reviewed current "active practice" requirements and explored potential pathways for internationally trained dentists to practice as dental hygienists. Key outcomes:

• No recommended changes to existing laws or regulations regarding active practice
  requirements.

• No consensus reached on creating a licensure pathway for internationally trained
  dentists to work as dental hygienists.

• A formal report summarizing the discussion will be submitted to the General

Assembly for further consideration.

ONGOING REGULATORY ACTIONS Training and Supervision of Digital Scan Technicians- In response to HB165 and SB122 of the 2020

General Assembly which defined a digital scan technician, as used in teledentistry, and required the Board to promulgate regulations for the training of technicians to practice under the direction of a dentist licensed in Virginia. The Board withdrew the previous NOIRA because it was discovered that the incorrect draft was published for comment. Another NOIRA, with the correct draft, was re-proposed on May 19, 2022. This is action is in the final stage and is NOT in effect yet.

Training of Dental Assistants in Infection Control- In response to a petition for rulemaking from the Virginia

Dental Hygiene Program Directors' Consortium, the Board decided to initiate rulemaking to consider adoption of a requirement for training in infection control for dental assistants. The amended regulation requires a dental assistant to complete annual training in infection control standards as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Newly employed assistants must receive training within 60 days of hire, unless they can provide evidence of training within the last 12 months. This regulation is within the final stage and is NOT in effect yet.

Developing and approving a secure practitioner database Elimination of direct pulp-capping as a delegable action- The Board has determined that 18VAC60-30-120

should be amended to eliminate the practice of direct pulp capping from the list of practices that can be delegated to an appropriately trained dental assistant II. Appropriately trained dental assistants II may still perform delegated tasks related to indirect pulp capping. Proposed action was submitted June 13, 2022. This is in the proposed stage NOT in effect yet. Public Comment is scheduled for September 12, 2025.

Continuing Education Requirements for Jurisprudence- The Board is proposing to amend 18VAC60-21-

250 and 18VAC60-25-190. The Board is considering amendments to 18VAC60-21-250 to require that all licensed dentists obtain 2 hours of continuing education every other year in jurisprudence, and that dentists who administer or monitor patients under general anesthesia, deep sedation, or moderate sedation complete an additional 2 hours of continuing education in sedation jurisprudence every other year. These hours will be counted as part of the 15 hours a dentist is required to obtain per year (30 hours every two years). Additionally, the Board is considering an amendment to 18VAC60-25-190 to require that all licensed dental hygienists obtain 2 hours of continuing education every other year in jurisprudence. The Board is initiating this rulemaking in response to approximately 45 disciplinary cases since January 2020, in which licensees, despite certifying on

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initial application or renewal that they read and understood the laws and regulations of the Board, state at disciplinary hearings that they were not aware of the laws and regulations governing their practice. Proposed action was submitted June 17, 2022. This is the NOIRA stage and is NOT in effect yet.

NEED TO KNOW 󼫴󼫵󼫶󼫷󼫹󼫸󼫺 Virginia Restructures Health Oversight: Board of Health Professions to Dissolve

The Virginia General Assembly has passed Senate Bill 1363, marking a significant shift in the structure of the Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP). Effective July 1, 2025, the Board of Health Professions (BHP)--a policy board established nearly 50 years ago--will officially dissolve. Originally created to support DHP's 13 regulatory boards, the BHP's advisory and outreach functions have gradually been absorbed by other divisions within the agency. These include responsibilities such as advising state leadership, reviewing departmental budgets, and facilitating public engagement. The BHP has never held licensing or disciplinary authority. This transition reflects a move toward greater efficiency and clarity in governance. The duties of the BHP will be formally reassigned to DHP's existing regulatory boards and internal departments, which already include citizen representatives and collaborate closely with agency leadership. Virginia thanks the BHP members for their decades of service and looks forward to continuing their mission through streamlined operations and enhanced legal authority.

󺠣󺠤󺠥󺠦󺠧󺠨 Scam Alert: Virginia Dental Professionals Targeted

The Virginia Board of Dentistry warns licensees of an active scam where fraudsters impersonate Department of Health Professions investigators or the Executive Director. These scammers typically call workplaces using spoofed numbers and send fake documents with alarming claims--such as threats to suspend licenses unless money or personal information is provided.

󹸯󹸭󹸮 Red Flags to Watch For:

• Caller ID shows Virginia Board of Dentistry
• Poorly written documents referencing the "Department of Health"
• Aggressive demands for payment or personal data
• Urgent threats to suspend your license 󷃆󼽢 Reminder: The Board will never call to demand money or personal information, nor threaten license

suspension over the phone. Stay vigilant and report suspicious activity. For protection tips and more info, visit here.

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Board Disciplinary Cases January 1, 2025 - August 15, 2025

The table below includes all cases that have received Board action since January 1, 2025 through August 15,

2025.

Received Violation W/Violation Closed

Closed Case with Violations consisted of the following: Patient Care Related:

• 24 Standard of Care: Diagnosis/Treatment: Instances in which the diagnosis/treatment was improper,
  delayed, or unsatisfactory. Also, include failure to diagnose/treat & other diagnosis/treatment issues.

• 2 Standard of Care: Exceeding the Scope: practicing outside the permitted functions of license

• 1 Standard of Care: Malpractice Reports: Malpractice settlement payment for standard of care
  violations

• 1 Standard of Care: Surgery: Improper/unnecessary performance of surgery, improper patient
  management, and other surgery-related issues.

Non-Patient Care Related:

• 5 Business Practice Issues: Recordkeeping or continuing education.
• 2 Reinstatement: Application for reinstatement granted with a finding of violation. CCA's

There were 11 CCAs issued from January 1, 2025 through August 15, 2025.

Suspensions/Revocations

There have been 0 Summary Suspensions issued from January 1, 2025 through August 15, 2025. There have been 0 Revocations from January 1, 2025 through August 15, 2025.

Board Notices and Orders issued to licensees are posted online for public viewing. There are two portals for accessing these documents. To find out if there is public information on specific licensees, us this link to License Lookup. Use this link to see all the Case Decisions issued in the last 90 days, a link on this page is also provided to search for older case documents in a specified date range. Please note that a licensee's public record may include the records of proceedings in which a finding of "no violation" was made. Always click on the "Yes" link to see if the licensee was exonerated or disciplined. "No" means no public documents are available.

Year 2025 Cases Closed No Total Cases Cases Closed Cases Page | 4 February TOTALS January August March June April May July