S-3938.3  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6641

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Thibaudeau, Moyer, Kohl and Hochstatter

Read first time 01/22/96.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.

Regulating unsupervised practice by dental hygienists.

    AN ACT Relating to unsupervised practice by dental hygienists; adding a new section to chapter 18.29 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that access to preventive oral health care services by low-income families and eligible medicaid recipients is currently restricted by supervision requirements for dental hygienists practicing within their existing scope of practice.

    It is the intent of the legislature to expand access to and reduce the cost of preventive oral health care services provided by licensed dental hygienists to eligible medicaid recipients, low-income families, children, elderly persons, and other dentally underserved populations by allowing licensed dental hygienists to provide preventive oral health care services within dental hygienists' existing scope of practice without supervision requirements after two years' clinical experience with a licensed dentist.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 18.29 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Dental hygienists licensed under this chapter who have two years' practical clinical experience with a licensed dentist may perform authorized dental hygiene operations and services without dental supervision, limited to removal of deposits and stains from the surfaces of the teeth, application of topical preventative or prophylactic agents, polishing and smoothing of restorations, and performance of root planing and soft tissue curettage, but may not perform injections of anesthetic agents, administration of nitrous oxide, or diagnosis for dental treatment.  For dental planning and dental treatment, dental hygienists shall refer patients to licensed dentists.

    (2) The secretary in consultation with the dental hygiene examining committee shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW.

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