§ 58-69-801. Dental hygienist -- Limitations on practice.

     A dental hygienist licensed under this chapter may only practice dental hygiene:

(1) in an accredited dental or dental hygienist school to teach and demonstrate the practice of dental hygiene;

(2) for a public health agency;

(3) under the supervision of a dentist, for an employee leasing company or temporary personnel service company providing employees to a dentist or other person lawfully providing dental services:

(a) under the indirect supervision of a dentist licensed under this chapter at any time the dental hygienist is administering an anesthetic or analgesia as permitted under this chapter or division rules made under this chapter;

(b) under the general supervision of a dentist licensed under this chapter within the office of the supervising dentist and upon patients of record of the supervising dentist; and

(c) under the general supervision of a dentist licensed under this chapter, and the practice is conducted outside of the office of the supervising dentist, if:

(i) the dental hygiene work performed is authorized by the supervising dentist as a part of and in accordance with the supervising dentist's current treatment plan for the patient;

(ii) no anesthetic or analgesia is used;

(iii) the supervising dentist has determined the patient's general health and oral health are so that the dental hygiene work can be performed under general supervision and with an acceptable level of risk or injury as determined by the supervising dentist;

(iv) the supervising dentist accepts responsibility for the dental hygiene work performed under general supervision; and

(v)

(A) the dental hygienist's work is performed on a patient who is homebound or within a hospital, nursing home, or public health agency or institution; and

(B) the patient is the supervising dentist's patient of record and the dentist has examined the patient within six months prior to the patient's receiving treatment from a dental hygienist under this subsection.

Enacted by Chapter 116, 1996 General Session