82R1825 NC-F
By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 857
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the authority of a dental hygienist to provide services
in certain facilities and schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 262.1515(a) and (c), Occupations Code,
are amended to read as follows:
(a) A licensed dentist may delegate a service, task, or
procedure, pursuant to this section, to a dental hygienist, without
complying with Section 262.151(a)(2) if:
(1) the dental hygienist has at least two years'
experience in the practice of dental hygiene; and
(2) the service, task, or procedure is performed in
one of the following locations:
(A) a nursing facility as defined in Section
242.301, Health and Safety Code;
(B) a school-based health center established
under Subchapter B, Chapter 38, Education Code; [or]
(C) a community health center as defined by
Section 136.002, Human Resources Code; or
(D) a public or private school or preschool,
including a facility in which a government-funded early child-care
and education program is provided.
(c) A dental hygienist may only perform delegated tasks or
procedures with respect to a patient for 12 [six] months unless the
patient has been examined by a dentist in compliance with Section
262.151(a)(2).
SECTION 2. Section 262.152, Occupations Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 262.152. PERFORMANCE OF DELEGATED DUTIES. Except as
provided by Section 262.1515, a dental hygienist shall practice
dental hygiene:
(1) in the dental office of a supervising dentist
licensed by the board; or
(2) in an alternate setting, including a nursing home,
the patient's home, a school, a preschool, a hospital, a state
institution, a public health clinic, or another institution, under
the supervision of a supervising dentist.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.