By Thompson H.B. No. 2298
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the training of dental hygienists
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. PURPOSE. The legislature finds that:
1-5 (1) a severe shortage of dental hygienists exists in
1-6 many areas of the state;
1-7 (2) the number of hygienists as a proportion of the
1-8 state's population has declined during the past decade;
1-9 (3) the hygienist shortage is an obstacle to providing
1-10 oral hygiene services to citizens of the state, including,
1-11 particularly, underserved inner-city and rural populations;
1-12 (4) dental hygienist training programs are operating
1-13 at capacity, with no significant increases in capacity anticipated
1-14 in the foreseeable future; and
1-15 (5) establishment of a new method of training
1-16 hygienists would increase the supply of hygienists and expand the
1-17 availability of oral hygiene services in the state.
1-18 SECTION 2. Chapter 256, Subchapter B, Section 256.053,
1-19 Occupations Code, is amended to read as follows:
1-20 Sec. 256.053. ELIGIBILITY FOR LICENSE. (a) To qualify for a
1-21 license, an applicant must be:
1-22 (1) at least 18 years of age;
2-1 (2) a graduate of an accredited high school or hold a
2-2 certificate of high school equivalency; and
2-3 (3) a graduate of a recognized school of dentistry or
2-4 dental hygiene accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation
2-5 of the American Dental Association and approved by the board, or[.]
2-6 have provided evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant
2-7 has completed a dental hygiene equivalency training program
2-8 approved by the board and which meets the requirements of Section
2-9 256.0531.
2-10 SECTION 3. Chapter 256, Subchapter B, Occupations Code, is
2-11 amended by adding Section 256.0531 to read as follows:
2-12 Sec. 256.0531. DENTAL HYGIENE EQUIVALENCY TRAINING PROGRAMS.
2-13 (a) It is the intent of the legislature that programs approved by
2-14 the board under this section provide hygiene training that is
2-15 substantially equivalent to training provided under traditional
2-16 programs.
2-17 (b) A dental hygiene equivalency training program must meet
2-18 the following requirements:
2-19 (1) the program must require hygiene students to
2-20 complete four semesters of didactic education from a school of
2-21 dentistry, dental hygiene school, or other educational institution
2-22 approved by the board;
2-23 (2) didactic education shall be provided by
2-24 instruction in the classroom or by distance learning, remote course
2-25 work or similar modes of instruction offered by an institution
2-26 accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the
3-1 American Dental Association;
3-2 (3) didactic education shall include instruction in
3-3 anatomy, pharmacology, x-ray, ethics, jurisprudence, hygiene and
3-4 any other subject regularly taught in reputable schools of
3-5 dentistry and dental hygiene that the board may require;
3-6 (4) the program must require hygiene students to
3-7 complete not less than 1,000 hours of clinical training under the
3-8 direct supervision of a dentist during a 12-month period. Students
3-9 must satisfactorily complete 75 full-mouth prophylaxes, and
3-10 demonstrate the ability to accurately record the location and
3-11 extent of dental restorations, chart mobility, furcations, gingival
3-12 recession, keratinized gingiva and pocket depth on six aspects of
3-13 each tooth; and
3-14 (5) clinical training may occur simultaneously with
3-15 didactic education.
3-16 (c) Prior to commencing clinical training, a hygiene student
3-17 must have completed no less than two years of full-time employment
3-18 in a position involving clinical duties with dental patients.
3-19 (d) To be qualified to train a hygiene student under this
3-20 section, a dentist:
3-21 (1) must be licensed in Texas and have practiced in
3-22 Texas for at least five years;
3-23 (2) have completed a certification or calibration
3-24 course approved by the board for purposes of this section; and
3-25 (3) meet recertification requirements at intervals of
3-26 no more than three years.
4-1 (e) A hygiene student who completes the requirements of a
4-2 program under this section must satisfactorily pass the examination
4-3 required for all hygiene license applicants under this chapter.
4-4 (f) A dental hygienist may train hygiene students under this
4-5 section if:
4-6 (1) the dental hygienist is employed by a dentist who
4-7 provides training under this section and the hygienist works under
4-8 the direct supervision of the dentist in the same office as the
4-9 dentist;
4-10 (2) the dental hygienist has practiced full-time
4-11 dental hygiene for the five years immediately preceding the time
4-12 the training is provided; and
4-13 (3) the dental hygienist has completed a certification
4-14 or calibration course approved by the board and meets
4-15 recertification requirements at intervals of no more than five
4-16 years.
4-17 (g) A dentist who supervises a dental hygienist trained
4-18 under this section has the same liability for acts performed by the
4-19 hygienist as if the hygienist were trained in a different manner.
4-20 (h) The board shall implement a dental hygiene training
4-21 equivalency program no later than January 1, 2002.
4-22 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.