Assigned to HHS FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1112
dental hygienists; scope of practice
Purpose
Expands the general scope of practice for dental hygienists.
Background
A person is deemed a practicing dental hygienist if the person performs any of the
operations or acts included in the general practice of dental hygienists, dental hygiene and all
related and associated duties, including: 1) prophylaxis, scaling, closed subgingival curettage and
root planing; 2) administering local anesthetics and nitrous oxide; 3) inspecting the oral cavity and
surrounding structures for the purposes of gathering clinical data to facilitate a diagnosis;
4) periodontal screening or assessment; 5) recording clinical findings; 6) compiling case histories;
7) exposing and processing dental radiographs; and 8) all functions authorized and deemed
appropriate for dental assistants (A.R.S. § 32-1281).
Licensed dental hygienists are authorized to enter into affiliated practice agreements with
licensed dentists for the delivery of dental hygiene services if certain criteria are met. An affiliated
practice agreement must be in writing and include an identification of: 1) the affiliated practice
settings in which the dental hygienist must deliver services; 2) provided services and any
procedures and standing orders the dental hygienist must follow, including circumstances when a
patient may be seen by the dental hygienist; and 3) circumstances in which the dental hygienist
must consult with the dentist before initiating further treatment on patients who have not been seen
by a dentist within 12 months after the initial treatment (A.R.S. § 32-1289.01).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Allows a dental hygienist to:
a) establish a dental hygiene diagnosis and formulate a dental hygiene treatment plan; and
b) prescribe, administer and dispense fluoride supplements, topically applied fluorides and
nonsystemic oral antimicrobial agents that are not controlled substances or do not require
a license by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
2. Requires the written affiliated practice agreement between a dental hygienist and a dentist to
include the protocols for prescribing, administering and dispensing fluoride supplements,
topically applied fluorides and nonsystemic oral antimicrobial agents.
3. Defines dental hygiene diagnosis as identifying an existing or potential oral health problem
that dental hygienists are educationally qualified and licensed to treat. FACT SHEET
S.B. 1112
Page 2
4. Defines a dental hygiene treatment plan as a prioritized sequence of dental hygiene
interventions that is predicated on the dental hygiene diagnosis and that is limited to those
services included in the scope of practice for dental hygienists.
5. Makes conforming changes.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 14, 2022
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