2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-03771HB0243
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0243
Denturist practice act.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Winter
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to professions and occupations; amending
2 licensing statutes for dentists and dental hygienists to
3 include denturists; authorizing a denturist to be added to
4 the board of dental examiners as specified; specifying that
5 this act does not apply to denturitry students performing
6 denturitry as part of their curriculum; specifying that
7 denturists shall only perform dental laboratory work at the
8 direction of a dentist; requiring denturists and dental
9 laboratory technicians to complete work for a dentist
10 pursuant to a written prescription as specified; requiring
11 dentists and denturists to engage the services of persons
12 outside their office with a written work authorization;
13 specifying that denturists in certain occupations are
14 exempt from the act; specifying that denturists may perform
15 services for patients if trained to do so in an accredited
16 denturitry school and under the supervision of a dentist; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03772HB0243
1 amending requirements relating to permissible supervised
2 work by specified persons; requiring dental hygienists to
3 be graduates of a board approved program in order to
4 practice; amending definitions; providing definitions;
5 amending other laws relating to dentists and dental
6 hygienists to include denturists as specified; providing an
7 appropriation; and providing for effective dates.
8
9
10
11. W.S. 1-1-129(a)(i)(D), 33-15-101(c) and
12 (e), 33-15-108(h), 33-15-109(a) and (b), 33-15-111,
13 33-15-114(a)(xii) and (b)(intro), 33-15-115(a)(ii) through
14 (iv) and by creating a new paragraph (v), 33-15-117,
15 33-15-119, 33-15-120(a) and (c) through (e),
16 33-15-121(a)(intro), (i), (iv) and (v), 33-15-128(a)(ii),
17 (xii)(A) through (C), (xiii), by creating new paragraphs
18 (xvii) and (xviii) and by renumbering (xvii) as (xix),
19 33-15-131(d)(i), (ii)(A), (B), (iii)(A), (B), (iv)(A), (B),
20 (e) and (g) through (j), 33-15-133(a) and 40-28-102(a)(iv)
21 are amended to read:
22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03773HB02431
2
3.
4
5 (a) As used in this section:
6
7 (i) "Health care professional" means any of the
8 following who provide medical or dental diagnosis, care or
9 treatment:
10
11 (D) Dentists,
12 licensed to practice as provided in title 33,
13 chapter 15 of the Wyoming statutes; and
14
15
16
17 (c) No person is eligible to membership on the board
18 who is not legally qualified to practice; who has not
19 engaged in the active practice of dentistry in the state of
20 Wyoming for at least five (5) continuous years immediately
21 prior to appointment; who does not at the time of his
22 appointment hold a certificate entitling him to practice
23 dentistry in the state of Wyoming; and who is not a 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03774HB0243
1 resident of the state of Wyoming. One (1) appointed member
2 of the board shall be a dental hygienist who has the
3 qualifications provided in this act.
4
5
6 succeed himself in office for more than two (2) successive
7 terms.
8
9 (e) Appointments by the governor to the board shall
10 be made from a list of recommended names submitted by the
11 Wyoming Dental Association,
12 Association
13 as follows:
14
15 (i) The Wyoming Dental Association shall,
16 through its secretary, present to the governor within
17 fifteen (15) days after its regular annual meeting a list
18 of the names of not less than ten (10) candidates from
19 which appointments for vacancies on the board occurring
20 during the ensuing year shall be made; and
21
22 (ii) The Wyoming Dental Hygiene Association
23 shall, through its secretary, present to the governor 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03775HB0243
1 within fifteen (15) days after its regular annual meeting a
2 list of not less than three (3) candidates from which
3 appointments for vacancies on the board occurring during
4 the ensuing year shall be made;. and
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17 (h) The board may make and prescribe rules and
18 regulations for the licensure and practice of dentistry in
19 the state of Wyoming, not inconsistent with this act. For
20 purposes of this subsection, "practice of dentistry"
21 includes the work of dental hygienists,
22 auxiliaries, dental technicians and dental laboratories.
23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03776HB02431
2
3 (a) On or before December 31 of every second year,
4 each dentist licensed to practice dentistry
5 in this state and wishing to continue in the practice of
6 dentistry shall submit a license renewal application with
7 the applicable renewal fee. Any license granted by the
8 board shall expire if the holder fails to secure the
9 renewal certificate within three (3) months after the date
10 that the license renewal application is required to be
11 submitted.
12
13 (b) Any dentist
14 renewal indicates that the dentist has not
15 actively practiced dentistry or engaged in teaching
16 dentistry, for the
17 preceding five (5) years shall be issued a renewal
18 certificate only after demonstrating to the board that the
19 dentist has maintained the qualifications set
20 forth in this act. The board may require reexamination if
21 it finds good cause to believe that the person has not
22 maintained the professional ability and knowledge required
23 of an original licensee. 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03777HB02431
2
3
4 The board shall annually publish a list of all dentists,
5 licensed under this
6 act. The list shall contain the name and address of each
7 dentist,
8 other information as the board deems advisable. The board
9 office shall furnish copies to the public upon request or
10 by access to the board's website.
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12
13
14
15 (a) Except as provided by paragraph (xii) of this
16 subsection, any person is deemed to be practicing dentistry
17 within the meaning of this act:
18
19 (xii) A dental laboratory,
20
21 of this act when engaged in the construction, making,
22 alteration or repairing of bridges, crowns, dentures or
23 other prosthetic or surgical appliances, or orthodontic 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03778HB0243
1 appliances if the casts or molds or impressions upon which
2 the work is constructed have been made by a regularly
3 licensed and practicing dentist
4 crowns, bridges, dentures or prosthetic appliances,
5 surgical appliances or orthodontic appliances are returned
6 to the dentist upon whose order the work is constructed.
7
8 (b) Any licensed dentist who employs or
9 engages the service of any person, firm or corporation
10 to construct, reproduce, make,
11 alter or repair bridges, crowns, dentures or other
12 prosthetic, surgical or orthodontic appliances shall
13 furnish the person with a written work authorization on
14 forms prescribed by the board, which contain:
15
16
17
18 (a) Nothing in this act contained applies:
19
20 (ii) To a legally qualified dental
21 hygienist or engaged in full-time duties
22 with the United States armed forces, public health service,
23 veterans administration or other federal agencies; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-03779HB02431
2 (iii) To a legally qualified
3 dentist, dental hygienist or denturist of another state
4 making a clinical demonstration before a meeting of
5 dentists, denturists, dental hygienists or dental
6 auxiliaries; or
7
8 (iv) To dental,
9 students actively enrolled in any American
10 Dental Association accredited
11 dental educational program performing
12 services as a part of the curriculum of that program under
13 the direct supervision of a Wyoming licensed dentist,
14 Wyoming licensed dental hygienist instructor
15
16
17
18
19.
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23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037710HB0243
1 Dentists may employ one (1) or more dental laboratory
2 technicians who work only under the direction
3 and supervision of the dentist and who shall not be
4 permitted under any circumstances to do any
5 work upon any patient. Dental laboratory technicians
6 shall not be allowed to do laboratory work of
7 any kind except at the direction of dentists duly licensed
8 to practice, and then only upon written prescription issued
9 by the dentists
10
11
12
13
14
15 Any dentist authorized to practice dentistry within the
16 state may employ dental hygienists who shall
17 be examined and possess the qualifications provided in this
18 act. A dental hygienist may perform any
19 services for a patient are consistent with what
20 dental hygienists are trained to do in
21 accredited dental hygiene schools accredited
22 by the commission on dental accreditation of the American
23 Dental Association, the National Denturist Association or 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037711HB0243
1. Hygienists
2 shall not perform any other operation on the
3 teeth or mouth and shall be regulated by the rules and
4 regulations promulgated by the board. The above services
5 shall be performed under the supervision of a licensed
6 dentist. Dental hygienists shall practice in
7 the office of any licensed dentist, or in any public or
8 private institution under the supervision of a licensed
9 dentist. The board may revoke or suspend the license of any
10 dentist who permits any dental hygienist
11 operating under his supervision to perform any operations
12 or functions other than those permitted under this act.
13
14
15
16
17 (a) Any person who has a background that does not
18 evidence conduct adverse to the practice of dental hygiene
19 or to the ability to practice dental hygiene
20
21
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23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037712HB02431
2
3 a graduate of a dental hygiene program
4 accredited by the commission on dental accreditation of the
5 American Dental Association
6, who has passed a written, clinical and state
7 examination as determined by rule of the board may apply to
8 the board to have the person's qualifications considered
9 for licensure to practice dental hygiene;
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23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037713HB0243
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20 (c) If the applicant successfully completes the
21 requirements for licensure, the applicant shall be licensed
22 as a dental hygienist . If the expanded duties
23 applicant has successfully met the requirements for 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037714HB0243
1 expanded duties, the applicant shall be certified in those
2 expanded duties. The certificate issued by the board shall
3 list the expanded duties which the hygienist
4 is qualified and permitted to perform. On or before
5 December 31 of every second year, each dental hygienist
6 licensed to practice dental hygiene
7 and wishing to continue in the practice of dental hygiene
8 shall submit a license renewal application
9 with the applicable renewal fee. The renewal certificate
10 shall be made available to the supervising dentist. Any
11 license granted by the board shall expire if the holder
12 fails to secure the renewal certificate within three (3)
13 months after the date that the license renewal application
14 is required to be submitted. Any license that has expired
15 may be restored by the board upon payment of a fee set by
16 the board, if paid by December 31 of the year the license
17 expired.
18
19 (d) Any dental hygienist whose
20 application for renewal indicates that the hygienist
21 has not actively practiced dental hygiene
22 or engaged in teaching dental hygiene
23 for the preceding five (5) years shall be issued 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037715HB0243
1 a renewal certificate only after demonstrating to the board
2 that the hygienist has maintained the
3 qualifications set forth in this act. The board may require
4 reexamination if it finds good cause to believe that the
5 person has not maintained the professional ability and
6 knowledge required of an original licensee under this act.
7
8 (e) The board shall promulgate reasonable rules and
9 regulations for the licensure of dental
10 hygienists and ,
11 and may prescribe continuing education requirements for
12 renewal certificates and relicensure.
13
14
15
16
17
18 (a) The board may refuse to issue or renew, or may
19 suspend or revoke, the license of any dental hygienist
20 for any of the following causes:
21
22 (i) Conviction of, entry of a plea of nolo
23 contendere to or entry of a deferred prosecution agreement 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037716HB0243
1 pursuant to W.S. 7-13-301 to a felony or misdemeanor that
2 relates adversely to the practice of dental hygiene
3 or the ability to practice dental hygiene
4;
5
6 (iv) Renting or loaning to another person the
7 hygienist's
8 a license or diploma for the other person;
9
10 (v) Being unfit or incompetent to practice
11 dental hygiene
12 not limited to:
13
14 (A) Inability to practice dental hygiene
15 with reasonable skill and safety because of
16 physical or mental disability or the use of alcohol,
17 prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs or other
18 psychoactive substance; or
19
20 (B) Performance of unsafe dental hygiene
21 practice or failure to conform to
22 the standards of acceptable professional dental hygiene 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037717HB0243
1 practice
2 injury results.
3
4
5
6 (a) As used in this act:
7
8 (ii) "Dentistry" means the healing art practiced
9 by a dentist, dental hygienist or a denturist which is
10 concerned with the examination, diagnosis, treatment,
11 planning and care of conditions within the human oral
12 cavity and its adjacent tissues and structures;
13
14 (xii) "Proprietor" includes any person who:
15
16 (A) Employs dentists, dental hygienists,
17 or dental auxiliaries in the operation of a
18 dental office, except as defined in this act; or
19
20 (B) Places in the possession of a dentist,
21 dental hygienist dental auxiliary or
22 other agent such dental material or equipment as may be
23 necessary for the management of a dental office on the 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037718HB0243
1 basis of a lease or any other agreement for compensation
2 for the use of such material, equipment or offices; or
3
4 (C) Retains the ownership or control of
5 dental equipment or material or office and makes the same
6 available in any manner for the use by dentists, dental
7 hygienists, dental auxiliaries or any other
8 agents, excepting that nothing in this subparagraph shall
9 apply to bona fide sales of dental equipment or material
10 secured by a chattel mortgage or retain-title agreement or
11 the loan of articulators.
12
13 (xiii) "Expanded duties" means those patient's
14 services
15 dental hygienists,
16 other dental auxiliary functions and require
17 additional education,
18 of dental examiners of Wyoming and are to be performed
19 under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist;
20
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23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037719HB0243
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12 (xix)
13 through 33-15-133 and may be cited as the "Wyoming Dental
14 Practice Act".
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18
19 (d) An application for a volunteer's certificate
20 shall include all of the following:
21
22 (i) A copy of the applicant's dentistry,
23 dental hygienist or denturist degree; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037720HB02431
2 (ii) One (1) of the following, as applicable:
3
4 (A) A copy of the applicant's most recent
5 license or certificate authorizing the practice of
6 dentistry, issued by a
7 jurisdiction in the United States that licenses persons to
8 practice dentistry, or dental hygiene or denturitry; or
9
10 (B) A copy of the applicant's most recent
11 license equivalent to a license to practice dentistry
12 dental hygiene in one (1) or more branches of
13 the United States armed services that the United States
14 government issued.
15
16 (iii) Evidence of one (1) of the following, as
17 applicable:
18
19 (A) That the applicant has maintained for
20 at least ten (10) years immediately prior to retirement
21 full licensure in good standing in any jurisdiction in the
22 United States that licenses persons to practice as a
23 dentist, or dental hygienist or denturist; or 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037721HB02431
2 (B) That the applicant has practiced for at
3 least ten (10) years immediately prior to retirement in
4 good standing as a dentist,
5 in one (1) or more of the branches of the United
6 States armed services.; and
7
8 (iv) A notarized statement from the applicant,
9 on a form prescribed by the board, that the applicant:
10
11 (A) Will not accept any form of
12 remuneration for any dental,
13 services rendered while in possession of a
14 volunteer's certificate;
15
16 (B) Will devote his practice exclusively
17 and totally to providing dental
18 services to low income uninsured persons at a
19 nonprofit health care facility in this state; and
20
21 (e) The holder of a volunteer's certificate may
22 provide dental services
23 only on the premises of a nonprofit health care facility in 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037722HB0243
1 this state and only to low income uninsured persons. The
2 holder shall not accept any form of remuneration for
3 providing dental, services
4 while in possession of the certificate. The board may
5 revoke a volunteer's certificate on receiving proof
6 satisfactory to the board that the holder has engaged in
7 practice in this state outside the scope of the
8 certificate.
9
10 (g) To be eligible for renewal of a volunteer's
11 certificate, the holder of the certificate shall certify to
12 the board completion of any continuing education required
13 under this act as if the holder of the certificate were in
14 active practice. The board shall not renew a certificate if
15 the holder has not complied with the continuing education
16 requirements. The nonprofit health care facility in which
17 the holder provides dental,
18 services may pay for or reimburse the holder for any costs
19 incurred in obtaining the required continuing education.
20
21 (h) The board shall issue to each person who
22 qualifies under this section a volunteer's certificate that
23 states the certificate holder is authorized to provide 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037723HB0243
1 dental, services pursuant
2 to the laws of this state.
3
4 (j) Except as provided in this section, any person
5 holding a volunteer's certificate issued by the board under
6 this section shall be subject to the requirements of this
7 act and the jurisdiction of the board as if he were
8 licensed to practice dentistry,
9 under this act.
10
11
12
13 (a) A temporary license may be issued to any
14 dentist or dental hygienist who has applied for
15 licensure and who exhibits good standing in another
16 jurisdiction of the United States or Canada and has
17 qualified for the requirements to be employed as an
18 instructor at a dental hygiene or denturitry school.
19
20
21
22
23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037724HB02431 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a
2 person who makes an innovative medical digital assessment
3 product or service available to consumers in the medical
4 digital innovation sandbox may be granted a waiver from
5 specified requirements imposed by statute or rule, or
6 portions thereof, if these statutes or rules do not
7 currently permit the product or service to be made
8 available to consumers. A waiver under this subsection
9 shall be no broader than necessary to accomplish the
10 purposes and standards set forth in this act, as determined
11 by the department or the appropriate licensing board or
12 authority under the chapters listed in this subsection.
13 The statutes within the following chapters of title 33 of
14 the Wyoming statutes, and the rules adopted under them, or
15 portions thereof, may be waived by the department and the
16 appropriate licensing boards or authorities, upon receipt
17 and approval of an application made to the department
18 pursuant to W.S. 40-28-103:
19
20 (iv) Chapter 15, dentists,
21
22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037725HB02431. There is appropriated eighteen thousand
2 dollars ($18,000.00) from the board of dental examiners'
3 account within the special revenue fund to the board of
4 dental examiners to pay for the administrative costs
5 incurred by the board of dental examiners to implement this
6 act. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning
7 July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026. Notwithstanding any
8 other provision of law, this appropriation shall not be
9 transferred or expended for any other purpose and any
10 unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this
11 appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30,
12 2026. It is the intent of the legislature that this
13 appropriation be included in the standard budget of the
14 board of dental examiners for the immediately succeeding
15 fiscal biennium.
16
17
18
19 (a) If there are three (3) denturist candidates
20 interested in serving on the board of dental examiners, the
21 governor may appoint a denturist from the list of three (3)
22 candidates proposed by the Wyoming State Denturist
23 Association to the board of dental examiners pursuant to 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-037726HB0243
1 W.S. 33-51-101, as amended by section 1 of this act, not
2 later than July 1, 2025.
3
4 (b) If the governor appoints a denturist to the board
5 of dental examiners, the Wyoming State Denturist
6 Association shall present to the governor a list of not
7 less than three (3) candidates from which appointments for
8 vacancies on the board of dental examiners occurring
9 between the effective date of this section and July 1, 2025
10 shall be made pursuant to W.S. 33-15-101, as amended by
11 section 1 of this act.
12
13.
14
15 (a) Except as otherwise provided by subsection (b) of
16 this section, this act is effective July 1, 2025.
17
18 (b) Sections 3 and 4 of this act are effective
19 immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a
20 bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of
21 the Wyoming Constitution.
22
23 (END)