LCO No. 4793 1 of 3
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7281
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 4793
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E PRACTICE OF DENTAL THERAPY BY
LICENSED DENTAL HYGI ENISTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) (a) As used in this 1
section: 2
(1) "General supervision of a licensed dentist" has the same meaning 3
as provided in section 20-126l of the general statutes; 4
(2) "Public health facility" has the same meaning as provided in 5
section 20-126l of the general statutes; 6
(3) The "practice of dental therapy" means the performance of 7
educational, preventive and therapeutic services including: (A) 8
Identification of oral and systemic conditions requiring evaluation or 9
treatment by dentists, physicians or other healthcare providers and 10
referrals to such healthcare providers; (B) diagnosis and treatment of 11
oral diseases and conditions within the dental therapist scope of 12
practice; (C) comprehensive charting of the oral cavity; (D) oral health 13
instruction and disease prevention education, including nutritional 14 Raised Bill No. 7281
LCO No. 4793 2 of 3
counseling and dietary analysis; (E) dispension and oral 15
administration or topical application of nonnarcotic analgesics, anti-16
inflammatory and antibiotic medications as prescribed by a licensed 17
health care provider, with the exception of schedule II, III or IV 18
controlled substances; (F) application of topical preventive or 19
prophylactic agents, including fluoride, fluoride varnish, antimicrobial 20
agents and pit and fissure sealants; (G) pulp vitality testing; (H) 21
application of desensitizing medication or resin; (I) interim therapeutic 22
restorations; (J) fabrication of athletic mouth guards; (K) periodontal 23
dressing changes; (L) administration of local anesthetic pursuant to 24
subsection (d) of section 20-126l of the general statutes; (M) simple 25
extraction of erupted primary teeth; (N) nonsurgical extraction of 26
periodontally diseased permanent teeth with grade three or higher 27
tooth mobility, with the exception of an extraction when a tooth is 28
unerupted, impacted, fractured or needs to be sectioned for removal; 29
(O) emergency palliative treatment of dental pain, limited to the 30
procedures listed in this subdivision; (P) preparation and placement of 31
direct restoration in primary and permanent teeth, that does not 32
require the fabrication of crowns, bridges, veneers or dentures; (Q) 33
fabrication and placement of single-tooth temporary crowns; (R) 34
administration of nitrous oxide; (S) preparation and placement of 35
preformed crowns on primary teeth; (T) indirect and direct pulp 36
capping on permanent teeth; (U) indirect pulp capping on primary 37
teeth; (V) suture removal; (W) minor adjustments and repairs on 38
removable prostheses; (X) placement and removal of space 39
maintainers; and (Y) recementing permanent crowns. 40
(b) No person shall engage in the practice of dental therapy unless 41
such person (1) is a dental hygienist licensed under chapter 379a of the 42
general statutes, (2) has a certificate of graduation from a dental 43
therapy program (A) accredited for dental therapy by the Commission 44
on Dental Accreditation, or such other national professional 45
accrediting body as may be recognized by the Department of Public 46
Health, and (B) offered by an institution of higher education, and (3) 47
practices in a public health facility under the general supervision of a 48 Raised Bill No. 7281
LCO No. 4793 3 of 3
licensed dentist pursuant to a collaborative agreement with such 49
dentist or in a dental care health professional shortage area as 50
designated by the federal Health Resources and Services 51
Administration. 52
(c) A collaborative agreement between a dentist and a dental 53
hygienist engaging in the practice of dental therapy may allow such 54
dental hygienist to directly supervise not more than two dental 55
assistants, expanded function dental assistants or dental hygienists. 56
Nothing in this section shall require a dentist to enter into a 57
collaborative agreement with a dental hygienist. 58
(d) Each certified dental hygienist engaging in the practice of dental 59
therapy and applying for a renewal of such certification shall earn a 60
minimum of six hours of continuing education within the preceding 61
certification period related to the practice of dental therapy in addition 62
to satisfying the continuing education requirements of section 20-126l 63
of the general statutes. 64
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To allow dental hygienists to become certified in dental therapy and
engage in the practice of dental therapy for the purpose of increasing
access to dental care.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]