Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §1071, sub-§3, as amended by PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §56, is further amended to read:

3. Dental hygienists. The dental hygienist Members of the dental hygiene profession must be qualified pursuant to subchapter IV, must be a legal resident residents of the State and must have practiced in the State for at least 6 years immediately preceding appointment. The dental hygienist member members of the board is a are full-voting member members of the board. The term terms of the dental hygienist is hygienists are 5 years. The Governor may accept nominations from the Maine Dental Hygienists Association and from other organizations and individuals before the appointment of a hygienist to the board. A dental hygienist is not eligible to serve as a member of the board while employed by a dentist who is a member of the board.

Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §1095, as amended by PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §79, is repealed.

Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §1095-A is enacted to read:

§1095-A.__Definitions

As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.

1.__General supervision.__"General supervision" means that a dentist is responsible for the practice of dental hygiene by a dental hygienist but is not required to be in the dental office when a dental hygienist licensed pursuant to this subchapter is practicing dental hygiene.

2.__Practice dental hygiene.__"Practice dental hygiene" means to perform, attempt or profess to perform preventive and therapeutic services, including complete oral prophylaxis; the removal of calcareous deposits, hard deposits, accretions and stains from the subgingival and supragingival surfaces of the teeth by scaling, root planing, curettage and polishing; the application of pit and fissure sealants and topical solutions to exposed portions of the teeth; dental hygiene examinations and the charting of oral conditions; the administration of local anesthesia for dental hygiene procedures; and other procedures included in the rules adopted by the board.

Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §1096, as amended by PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §80, is repealed.

Sec. 4. 32 MRSA §1096-A is enacted to read: