00                       CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 136(FIN)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to dental hygienists."                                                                                 
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1. AS 08.32 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                  
04            Sec. 08.32.085. Restorative function license endorsement. (a) The board                                    
05       shall issue a restorative function endorsement to a dental hygienist who is licensed                              
06       under this chapter if the licensee furnishes evidence satisfactory to the board that the                          
07       licensee has                                                                                                      
08                 (1)  successfully completed a program accredited by the Commission                                      
09       on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or other course of                                     
10       instruction approved by the board; and                                                                            
11                 (2)  passed the Western Regional Examining Board's restorative                                          
12       examination or other equivalent examination approved by the board within the five                                 
13       years preceding the licensee's endorsement application, or the licensee is licensed in                            
14       another state or United States territory to perform restorative functions.                                        
15            (b)  An endorsement issued under this section authorizes a licensed dental                                   
01       hygienist under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist to place restorations into a                         
02       cavity prepared by the licensed dentist and thereafter carve, contour, and adjust                                 
03       contacts and occlusion of the restoration.                                                                        
04            (c)  The board may by regulation establish renewal and continuing education                                  
05       requirements for an endorsement under this section.                                                             
06    * Sec. 2. AS 08.32.110(a) is amended to read:                                                                      
07            (a)  The role of the dental hygienist is to assist members of the dental                                     
08       profession in providing oral health care to the public. A person licensed to practice the                         
09       profession of dental hygiene in the state may                                                                     
10                 (1)  remove calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from the                                        
11       exposed surfaces of the teeth beginning at the epithelial attachment by scaling and                               
12       polishing techniques;                                                                                             
13                 (2)  apply topical preventive agents;                                                                   
14                 (3)  apply pit and fissure sealants;                                                                    
15                 (4)  perform root planning and periodontal soft tissue curettage;                                       
16                 (5)  perform other dental operations and services delegated by a                                        
17       licensed dentist if the dental operations and services are not prohibited by (c) of this                          
18       section; and                                                                                                      
19                 (6)  if certified by the board and under the direct, [OR] indirect, or                          
20       general supervision of a licensed dentist, administer local anesthetic agents.                                
21    * Sec. 3. AS 08.32.110 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
22            (e)  This section does not prohibit a dental hygienist                                                       
23                 (1)  with an endorsement issued under AS 08.32.085 from performing                                      
24       the activities authorized under AS 08.32.085; or                                                                  
25                 (2)  who has entered into a collaborative agreement approved by the                                     
26       board under AS 08.32.115 from performing the activities authorized under the                                      
27       collaborative agreement.                                                                                          
28    * Sec. 4. AS 08.32 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                     
29            Sec. 08.32.115. Collaborative agreements. (a) If the collaborative agreement                               
30       is approved by the board under (d) of this section, a dental hygienist with a minimum                             
31       of 4,000 documented hours of clinical experience within the five years preceding                                  
01       application for the board's approval may enter into a collaborative agreement with a                              
02       dentist licensed under AS 08.36 in which the licensed dentist authorizes the dental                               
03       hygienist to perform one or more of the following:                                                                
04                 (1)  oral health promotion and disease prevention education;                                            
05                 (2)  removal of calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from the                                    
06       surfaces of teeth;                                                                                                
07                 (3)  application of topical preventive or prophylactic agents, including                                
08       fluoride varnishes and pit and fissure sealants;                                                                  
09                 (4)  polishing and smoothing restorations;                                                              
10                 (5)  removal of marginal overhangs;                                                                     
11                 (6)  preliminary charting and triage;                                                                   
12                 (7)  radiographs;                                                                                       
13                 (8)  use of local periodontal therapeutic agents; and                                                   
14                 (9)  performance of nonsurgical periodontal therapy, with or without                                    
15       the administration of local anesthesia, subsequent to a licensed dentist's authorization                          
16       or diagnosis as specified in the licensed hygienist's collaborative agreement.                                    
17            (b)  The services described in (a) of this section may be performed under a                                  
18       collaborative agreement approved by the board                                                                     
19                 (1)  without the presence of the licensed dentist;                                                      
20                 (2)  in a setting other than the usual place of practice of the licensed                                
21       dentist; and                                                                                                      
22                 (3)  without the dentist's diagnosis and treatment plan unless otherwise                                
23       specified in the collaborative agreement or in (a) of this section.                                               
24            (c)  The board shall adopt regulations regarding approval of collaborative                                   
25       agreements between licensed dental hygienists and licensed dentists.                                              
26            (d)  The board may approve a collaborative agreement between a licensed                                      
27       dentist and a dental hygienist. However, the board may not approve more than five                                 
28       collaborative agreements with a licensed dentist, not including any collaborative                                 
29       agreements that have been terminated. A dental hygienist shall notify the board of the                            
30       termination of a collaborative agreement with a licensed dentist.                                                 
31    * Sec. 5. AS 08.32.140 is amended to read:                                                                         
01            Sec. 08.32.140. Supervision required. A dental hygienist, other than a                                 
02       dental hygienist practicing according to a collaborative agreement approved                                   
03       under AS 08.32.115, may not practice except under the general supervision of a                                
04       licensed dentist or, if required by regulations adopted under AS 08.32.110(b), the                                
05       direct or indirect supervision of a licensed dentist.