Dentistry Examining Board member Dr. Matthew Bistan has been chosen to lead the national Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact.
Bistan is a partner at Signature Dental in Sheboygan. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a graduate of the Marquette University School Dentistry. He served as chair of the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board from 2019 to 2024.
Bistan was elected in January by his peers to be chairperson of the Compact Commission, which is made up of a representative from the 10 states currently participating in the DDH Compact.
“I am honored to represent Wisconsin in the Dentist and Dental Hygiene compact and be elected its Chair,” said Bistan. “The DDH will attract licensees from participating states and allow licensees of Wisconsin the flexibility to practice in other states. I look forward to increasing the access to care for the citizens of Wisconsin through the portability of the DDH license privilege.”
The DDH Compact is the result of a partnership between The Council of State Governments, the American Dental Association, and the American Dental Hygienist Association. Compacts are designed to help address workforce shortages in a particular profession.
The DDH Compact is a legally binding agreement among states that establish an optional, additional pathway for dentists and dental hygienists to practice in states where they do not hold a license. A state must enact the compact model legislation via a state’s legislative process to join.
The Compact Commission met for the first time last August and the DDH Compact implementation process is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.
