HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2372
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO THE SUPERVISION OF LICENSED DENTAL HYGIENISTS IN A PUBLIC HEALTH SETTING.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Section 447-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

"(d) A licensed dental hygienist may operate under the supervision as provided in section 447-1(f) of any licensed dentist providing dental services in a public health setting. General supervision is permitted in a public health setting as long as the supervising licensed dentist is available for consultation, provided that a licensed dental hygienist shall not perform any irreversible procedure or administer any intra-oral block anesthesia under general supervision. In a public health setting, the supervising licensed dentist shall be responsible for all delegated acts and procedures performed by a licensed dental hygienist. As used in this subsection, "public health setting" includes but is not limited to dental services in a legally incorporated eleemosynary dental dispensary or infirmary, private or public school, welfare center, community center, public housing, hospital, nursing home, adult day care center or assisted living facility, mental institution, nonprofit health clinic or facility, or the State or any county. [A] Notwithstanding section 447-1(f), a licensed dental hygienist under the general supervision of a licensed dentist employed in a public health setting may perform dental education, dental screenings, teeth cleanings, x-rays, intra-oral or extra-oral photographs, and fluoride applications [.]on individuals who are not yet patients of record, have not yet been examined by a licensed dentist, or do not have a treatment plan. Other permissible duties shall be pre-screened and authorized by a supervising licensed dentist, subject to the dentist's determination that the equipment and facilities are appropriate and satisfactory to carry out the recommended treatment plan. A licensed dental hygienist shall take feasible actions to refer individuals that are seen in a public health setting to a dental home. No direct reimbursements shall be provided to licensed dental hygienists."

SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 3. This Act, upon its approval, shall take effect on July 1, 2018.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________
	BY REQUEST

Report Title:

Licensed Dental Hygienist; Public Health Setting

Description:

Allows licensed dental hygienists to practice under the general or direct supervision of any licensed dentist providing dental services in a public health setting.

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