SUMMARY

This bill implements the recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development pursuant to its review of the Board of Dental Examiners under the State Government Evaluation Act. This bill does the following:

1. It eliminates one dentist member position from the Board of Dental Examiners and adds one dental hygienist member position;

2. It creates the Subcommittee on Denturist Discipline and the Subcommittee on Dental Hygienist Submissions, each with the authority to issue recommendations on matters within the subcommittee's scope that are binding unless overturned by a 2/3 supermajority of the board;

3. It authorizes the board to order mental or physical examinations of dentist, dental hygienist and dental radiographer licensees, identical to the board's existing authority to order examinations for denturist licensees;

4. It increases required hours of continuing education for dental hygienists from 20 to 30 every 2 years;

5. It codifies in statute the current rules of the board concerning the requirements for licensure of dental hygienists who are graduates of accredited programs;

6. It directs the Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation to perform a sunrise review concerning the expansion of the scope of practice of licensed denturists to include fabrication and insertion of partial dentures and dentures over implants and authorizes the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over business, research and economic development matters to introduce a bill in the First Regular Session of the 122nd Legislature to expand that scope of practice accordingly; and

7. It increases the fee caps for licensees as follows: for dentists, from $400 to $550; for dental hygienists, from $100 to $175; for denturists, from $100 to $175; and for dental radiographers, from $50 to $125.

FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED

(See attached)