Any person who has served on active duty in the medical corps of any of the Armed Forces of the United States and who has successfully completed the course of instruction required to qualify him for rating as a dental specialist, preventive dentistry technician or dental technician class A dental technician school, or other equivalent rating in his particular branch of the Armed Forces, and whose service in the Armed Forces was under honorable conditions, may submit to the West Virginia board of dental examiners, a photostatic copy of the certificate issued to him certifying successful completion of such course of instruction, a photostatic copy of his discharge from the Armed Forces, an application for license as a dental hygienist and the prescribed fee.

If the certificate and discharge, as evidenced by the photostatic copies thereof, the application and prescribed fee are in order, and if the veteran meets all of the requirements of article four of this chapter, except the requirement therein specified requiring an applicant to be a graduate of and possess an acceptable diploma in dental hygiene from a school having a course in dental hygiene approved by such board, the veteran shall be permitted, notwithstanding any provision of said article four to the contrary, to take the same examination or examinations as are required under section fourteen of said article four for applicants who do not apply for a license under the provisions of this article twenty-four. If the veteran passes such examination or examinations, he shall be licensed as a dental hygienist, and such veteran shall thereafter be subject to all of the provisions of said article four relating to dental hygienists. If the veteran does not pass such examination or examinations, the provisions of said article four relating to reexaminations shall apply to such veteran the same as they apply to a person who does not apply for a license under the provisions of this article twenty-four.