Dental hygienists.

(1) Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of the practice of dental hygienists by the Dental Hygiene Board of California within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires applicants for licensure to provide fingerprint images for submission to governmental agencies, in order to, among other things, establish the identity of the applicant. Existing law permits a registered dental hygienist licensed in another state to teach in a dental hygiene college without being licensed in this state if the dental hygienist satisfies various eligibility requirements, including furnishing satisfactory evidence of having graduated from a dental hygiene college approved by the board, and is issued a special permit. Existing law requires an applicant for a special permit to pay an application fee, subject to a biennial renewal fee, as provided. This bill would require a special permit to remain valid for 4 years and would thereafter prohibit the board from renewing it. The bill would specify that an applicant for a special permit is required to comply with the fingerprint submission requirements described above and would require an applicant, if teaching during clinical practice sessions, to furnish satisfactory evidence of having successfully completed a course in periodontal soft-tissue curettage, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide-oxygen analgesia approved by the board. (2) Existing law requires the board to grant initial licensure as a registered dental hygienist to a person who satisfies specified requirements and authorizes the board to grant a license as a registered dental hygienist to an applicant who has not taken a clinical examination before the board if the applicant submits specified documentation, including proof of graduation from a school of dental hygiene accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. This bill would require an applicant for licensure who has not taken a clinical examination before the board to additionally submit satisfactory evidence of having successfully completed a course or education and training in local anesthesia, nitrous oxide-oxygen analgesia, and periodontal soft-tissue curettage approved by the board. (3) Existing law requires a new educational program for registered dental hygienists, as defined, to submit a feasibility study demonstrating a need for a new educational program and to apply for approval from the board before seeking approval for initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation or an equivalent body, as determined by the board. This bill would also require a new educational program for registered dental hygienists in alternative practice or registered dental hygienists in extended functions to comply with the above-described requirements. (4) Existing law authorizes the board to discipline, as specified, a licensee for unprofessional conduct and provides a nonexhaustive list of acts that constitute unprofessional conduct, including the willful misrepresentation of facts relating to a disciplinary action to the patients of a disciplined licensee. This bill would make it unprofessional conduct for a licensee to knowingly make a statement or sign a certificate or other document that falsely represents the existence or nonexistence of a fact directly or indirectly related to the practice of dental hygiene. (5) Existing law authorizes the board to discipline a licensee by placing the licensee on probation under various terms and conditions, including, but not limited to, requiring the licensee to obtain additional training or pass an examination upon completion of training, or both. This bill would require the training to be in a remedial education course approved by the board. (6) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of registered dental hygienists in alternative practice by the board. Existing law authorizes a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to perform any of the duties or functions authorized to be performed by a registered dental hygienist as an employee of a dentist or of another registered dental hygienist in alternative practice, as an independent contractor, as a sole proprietor of an alternative dental hygiene practice, in specified clinics, or in a professional corporation. Existing law further authorizes a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to perform certain additional duties and functions in residences of the homebound, schools, residential facilities, dental health professional shortage areas, and dental offices. Existing law authorizes a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to operate a mobile dental hygiene clinic provided by the licensee's property and casualty insurer as a temporary substitute site if the registered place of practice has been rendered and remains unusable due to loss or calamity and the licensee's insurer registers the mobile dental hygiene clinic with the board, as specified. This bill would authorize a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to operate a mobile dental hygiene clinic in specified settings, if the registered dental hygienist in alternative practice registers mobile dental hygiene clinic with the board, as specified. In this regard, the bill would remove the requirement that a mobile dental hygiene clinic be provided by the property and casualty insurer as a temporary substitute site because the registered place of practice has been rendered and remains unusable due to loss or calamity. The bill would authorize the board to conduct announced and unannounced reviews and inspections of a mobile dental hygiene clinic, as specified. The bill would make it unprofessional conduct for a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to operate a mobile dental hygiene clinic in a manner that does not comply with these provisions. The bill would authorize the board to issue citations that contain fines and orders of abatement to a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice for a violation of these provisions and related provisions, as specified. (7) Existing law requires a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to register with the executive officer of the dental hygiene board the person's place of practice, as specified. Existing law requires a person licensed by the dental hygiene board to register with the executive officer within 30 days after the date of the issuance of the person's license as a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice. This bill would instead impose these registration requirements on the physical facilities of the registered dental hygienist in alternative practice. The bill would require a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice who utilizes portable equipment to practice dental hygiene to register the physical facility where the portable equipment is maintained with the executive officer of the dental hygiene board. The bill would authorize the board to conduct announced and unannounced reviews and inspections of the physical facilities and equipment of a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice, as specified. The bill would make it unprofessional conduct for a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to maintain a physical facility or equipment in a manner that does not comply with these provisions. The bill would authorize the board to issue citations that contain fines and orders of abatement to a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice for a violation of these provisions and related provisions, as specified.