A nonprofit dental center that reaches out to low-income children in Limestone County and throughout the state will likely be allowed to continue serving those kids.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is expected to sign a bill passed Thursday by the Alabama Legislature that says nonprofit dental providers may operate in the state as long as they register with the Alabama Board of Dental Examiners.

The governor’s signature would solve a spat between Sarrell Dental Centers and the state’s dental establishment.

For more than a year, the dental establishment had been questioning whether Anniston-based Sarrell Dental was operating legally in the state. Sarrell emerged as a nonprofit dental clinic in 2005 and quickly expanded to 11 centers, including one in Athens, and one dental bus.

It grew from serving 3,500 children a year in 2005 to serving 80,000 children in 2010. 52 Fifty-two Sarrell dentists across the state now provide cleanings, fillings and other essential dental care for children up to age 18 at the 12 centers, including the bus. Medicaid and the Children Health Insurance Program cover the costs.

The Board of Dental Examiners initially lobbied against an early version of the bill, something Sarrell officials attributed to efforts by some private dentists to curb the nonprofit’s growth. Sarrell officials have said it set up the centers because private dentists had not been effectively serving the low-income population.

A study in the most recent edition of the journal “Pediatrics” gives credence to the claim that these children were not being served.

The study shows children on Medicaid were 38 times more likely to be denied an appointment by dentists who were not enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The study shows children were 18 times more likely to be rejected by dentists who did accept Medicaid Insurance.

The study’s authors cite as reasons low fees, less patient compliance, negative attitudes toward beneficiaries, and administrative requirements being too burdensome.

If the governor signs the bill, Sarrell will drop its antitrust lawsuit against the Alabama Dental Association, which is not connected to the Board of Examiners. Sarrell sued the association last year after the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry removed its students from Sarrell clinics, where they were getting hands-on experience.

Sarrell Dental CEO Jeffrey Parker had said the students were removed because of pressure by dental alumni who were worried about the fast growing nonprofit.