Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18345 – Dental hygienist
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1. Dental hygienist license. Except as provided in section 18347, an applicant for a dental hygienist license must comply with section 18341 and must provide:
A. Verification of having successfully passed all examinations required by board rule and one of the following:
(1) Verification of an associate degree or higher in dental hygiene from a program accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization or the educational equivalent of a dental hygiene degree, as determined by the board; or
(2) Verification of having completed at least 1/2 of the prescribed course of study in an accredited dental college as a dental student. [PL 2021, c. 163, §6 (AMD).]
[PL 2021, c. 163, §6 (AMD).]
Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18345
- Board: means the Board of Dental Practice established in Title 5, section 12004?A, subsection 10. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Dental hygiene: means the delivery of preventative, educational and clinical services supporting total health for the control of oral disease and the promotion of oral health provided by a dental hygienist in accordance with this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Dental hygienist: means a person who holds a valid license as a dental hygienist issued by the board. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Dental therapist: means a person who holds a valid license as a dental hygienist issued by the board and is authorized to practice dental therapy under this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Dental therapy: means the delivery of dental hygiene services, including performance of certain dental procedures in accordance with this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Dentist: means a person who holds a valid dentist license issued by the board. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Dentistry: means the scope of practice for a dentist as described in section 18371. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Denturism: means the process of obtaining denture impressions and bite registrations for the purpose of making, producing, reproducing, constructing, finishing, supplying, altering or repairing a denture to be fitted to an edentulous or partially edentulous arch or arches and the fitting of a denture to an edentulous or partially edentulous arch or arches, including the making, producing, reproducing, constructing, finishing, supplying, altering and repairing of dentures, without performing alteration to natural or reconstructed tooth structure, in accordance with this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Direct supervision: means the supervision required of those tasks and procedures requiring the physical presence of the supervisor in the practice setting at the time such tasks or procedures are being performed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Faculty: means , when used in conjunction with a license issued under this chapter, the authority granted to an individual who is authorized to practice only within the school setting, including any satellite locations approved by the board, and who teaches dentistry, dental hygiene or denturism as part of a clinical and didactic program. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- General supervision: means the supervision of those tasks and procedures that do not require the physical presence of the supervisor in the practice setting while procedures are being performed but do require the tasks and procedures to be performed with the prior knowledge and consent of the supervisor. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Independent practice dental hygienist: means a person who holds a valid license as a dental hygienist issued by the board and who is authorized to practice independent dental hygiene. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Local anesthesia: means a drug, element or other material that results in a state of insensibility of a circumscribed area or the loss of sensation in some definite, localized area without inhibition of conscious processes. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Nitrous oxide analgesia: means a gas containing nitrous oxide used to induce a controlled state of relative analgesia with the goal of controlling anxiety. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Provisional dental therapist: means a person who holds a valid license as a dental hygienist issued by the board and who is authorized to practice dental therapy under the supervision of a dentist in accordance with this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Public health dental hygienist: means a person who holds a valid license as a dental hygienist issued by the board and who is authorized to practice public health dental hygiene in accordance with this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Public health setting: means a place where the practice of public health dental hygiene occurs, and includes, but is not limited to, public and private schools, medical facilities, nursing homes, residential care facilities, mobile units, nonprofit organizations and community health centers. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- Supervision: means either direct supervision or general supervision as determined by the tasks and procedures that are being performed in accordance with this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 Sec. 18302
- United States: includes territories and the District of Columbia. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
2. Additional authority. A dental hygienist licensed under this section or section 18347 who applies for additional authority must comply with section 18341 and must provide:
A. For independent practice dental hygienist authority, verification of 2,000 work hours of clinical practice.
For purposes of meeting the clinical practice requirements of this paragraph, the applicant’s hours in a private dental practice or nonprofit setting under the supervision of a dentist may be included as well as the applicant’s hours as a public health dental hygienist or, prior to July 29, 2016, as a dental hygienist with public health supervision status; [PL 2017, c. 139, §1 (AMD).]
B. For public health dental hygienist authority:
(1) A copy of the written agreement between the applicant and a supervising dentist that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the parties, which must include, but is not limited to, the level of supervision provided by the dentist, the practice settings, the standing orders and the coordination and collaboration that each party must undertake if additional patient care is needed; and
(2) Verification that the services will be offered in a public health setting; [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
C. For dental therapist authority:
(2) Verification of a master’s degree in dental therapy from a school accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization or a master’s degree in dental therapy from a program that meets the requirements adopted by board rule consistent with the accreditation standards identified by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization;
(3) Verification of passing a clinical examination and all other examinations required by board rule. The clinical examination must be a comprehensive, competency-based clinical examination approved by the board and administered independently of an institution providing dental therapy education;
(4) Verification of having engaged in 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice under the supervision of a dentist and in conformity with rules adopted by the board, during which supervised clinical practice the applicant is authorized to practice pursuant to paragraph F.
For purposes of meeting the clinical requirements of this subparagraph, an applicant’s hours of supervised clinical experience completed under the supervision of a dentist licensed in another state or a Canadian province may be included, as long as the applicant was operating lawfully under the laws and rules of that state or province; and
(5) A copy of the written practice agreement and standing orders required by section 18377, subsection 3. [PL 2021, c. 44, §§1-3 (AMD).]
D. For local anesthesia authority:
(1) Verification of having successfully completed a course of study required by board rule; and
(2) Verification of passing all examinations required by board rule; [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
E. For nitrous oxide analgesia authority:
(1) Verification of having successfully completed a course of study required by board rule; and
(2) Verification of passing all examinations required by board rule; and [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
F. For provisional dental therapist authority:
(1) Verification of meeting the requirements of paragraph C, subparagraphs (2) and (3); and
(2) A copy of the written agreement between the applicant and a dentist who will provide direct supervision for the procedures outlined in section 18377, subsection 1, paragraph A and general supervision for the procedures outlined in section 18377, subsection 1, paragraph B in conformity with rules adopted by the board.
During the period of provisional authority the applicant may be compensated for services performed as a dental therapist. The period of provisional authority may not exceed 3 years. [PL 2023, c. 354, §3 (AMD).]
[PL 2023, c. 354, §3 (AMD).]
3. Faculty dental hygiene license. An applicant for a faculty dental hygienist license must comply with section 18341 and must provide:
A. Verification of an active dental hygiene license in good standing issued under the laws of another state, a United States territory, a foreign nation or a foreign administrative division that issues licenses in the dental professions; and [PL 2021, c. 163, §7 (AMD).]
B. Credentials, satisfactory to the board, including a letter from the employing school of dentistry, dental hygiene or denturism indicating that the applicant satisfies the credentialing standards of the school and that the applicant will teach:
(1) Dental hygiene or denturism in this State as part of a clinical and didactic program for professional education for dental students and dental residents accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or a successor organization approved by the board;
(2) Dental hygiene in this State as part of a clinical and didactic program for professional education for dental hygiene students and dental hygiene residents accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or a successor organization approved by the board; or
(3) Denturism in this State as part of a board-approved clinical and didactic program for professional education for denturism students. [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
[PL 2021, c. 163, §7 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW). PL 2017, c. 139, §1 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 388, §9 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 388, §7 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 44, §§1-4 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 163, §§6, 7 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 354, §3 (AMD).