STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2532

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2799

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2799 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SUPERVISION OF LICENSED DENTAL HYGIENISTS IN A PUBLIC HEALTH SETTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow licensed dental hygienists to practice under the general or direct supervision of any licensed dentist providing dental services in a public health setting.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Board of Dental Examiners, Hawaii Medical Service Association, Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, Hawaii Dental Hygienists' Association, Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, Hawaii Dental Association, Lāna‘i Community Health Center, Hawaii Dental Service, Hui No Ke Ola Pono, five individuals, and a petition with ninety-seven names.

Your Committee finds that oral health is a critical component of a person's general health and well-being. Poor oral health can adversely affect a person's overall health and can negatively impact a person's ability to eat, speak, learn, work, and communicate. Your Committee further finds that Hawaii residents have a significantly higher prevalence of tooth decay than the national average, while the State's children have the highest prevalence of tooth decay in the nation. According to testimony from the Department of Health, a 2015 report issued by the Department identified key strategies to improve oral health in Hawaii, among them community-based prevention programs, screening and referral services, and restorative dental care. Your Committee additionally finds that preventative care in particular emphasizes the importance of ongoing hygiene procedures and daily practice to prevent tooth decay and other dental diseases and conditions and can result in less extensive and expensive treatment for any dental conditions that may develop.

Your Committee also finds this measure expands accessibility of preventative dental care by expanding the public health settings in which dental hygienists may provide care and broadening the services that can be performed by licensed dental hygienists in public health settings to include teeth cleanings, x-rays, and intra-oral or extra-oral photographs, while also holding the supervising licensed dentist responsible for procedures performed by the dental hygienist. This measure therefore reduces barriers to oral health care and supports and promotes expanded access to dental services for underserved and vulnerable populations in public health settings.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2799, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2799, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair