Georgia dental board seeks investigators, flags teledentistry and enforcement gaps

Clint Joyner, executive director for the Georgia Board of Dentistry and the Board of Pharmacy, told the Senate subcommittee that the House added funding for additional investigators and staff while highlighting a mounting investigative caseload.

Joyner said the House added one criminal investigator (bringing the total to two for dentistry under the House plan) and included equipment and vehicle funding tied to FY '26 provisions. He testified that one investigator closes roughly 40 cases per year and that the board's investigative unit currently has about 100 active cases. "Adding two investigators will bring that caseload to about a 140 cases closed per year," Joyner said.

Michael Knight, immediate past president of the dentistry board, said the board is seeing non-dentists and out-of-state organizations offering questionable care and that teledentistry had been represented as legal by some providers in ways that skirt existing law. "We're seeing more and more of this, and it affects the quality of care," Knight said, urging stronger enforcement and possible statutory changes.

Why it matters: The board's enforcement capacity affects public safety and the state's ability to control fraud, unlicensed practice and low-quality care. Committee members responded by discussing potential legislative fixes and additional budget support to reduce backlogs.

Committee action: The board asked the committee to consider legislation if necessary and to support requested staffing increases; the record shows committee members receptive to follow-up and potential statutory remedies.