PUBLIC HEALTH DENTAL HYGIENIST

Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Changes the definition of "public health dental hygienist." Provides that the requirement that a public health dental hygienist have additional structured courses in dental education in advanced areas specific to public health dentistry shall include emergency procedures for medically compromised patients, pharmacology, medical recordkeeping procedures, geriatric dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and pathology provided by an educational institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, such as a dental school or dental hygiene program, or a statewide dental association, approved by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to provide continuing education, that has developed and conducted training programs for expanded functions for dental assistants and hygienists. Provides that the training program must include a minimum of 26 hours of didactic study; include 8 hours of in-person classroom experience with an outcome assessment examination that tests the competency of the didactic subjects required by the Act; require the hygienist to complete an 8-hour, on-site mentoring experience monitored by the dentist who will have a public health supervision agreement with the hygienist; issue a certificate of completion of the training program, which must be kept on file at the supervising dentist's office and which will be made available to the Department upon request; and operate in a public health setting pursuant to a written public health supervision agreement with a dentist who is working in or has contracted with a local or State government agency or institution or who is providing services as part of a certified school-based program or school-based oral health program. Effective immediately. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with changes that include the following. Specifies the number of hours of education required in certain advanced areas specific to public health dentistry and requires that the training program for a public health dental hygienist include a minimum of 29 hours of didactic study in those areas (instead of a minimum of 26 hours of didactic study). Provides that the education in advanced areas specific to public health dentistry may be provided by a statewide dental hygiene association that meets certain requirements. Provides that the didactic study may be taken in compliance with specified continued learning education requirements. Provides that the training program for a public health dental hygienist must require completion of 5 hours of didactic courses in the topic areas of special needs dentistry, teledentistry, nutritional needs of geriatric and low income patients, communication techniques with non-English speaking patients, cultural competency, and professional ethics. Provides that the training program must require completion of an 8 hour in-person classroom review (instead of classroom experience) that includes a comprehension exam on specified topics (instead of an outcome assessment examination) and submit certification of successful completion to the supervising dentist. Removes a requirement that the training program require the hygienist to complete an 8-hour, on-site mentoring experience monitored by the dentist who will have a public health supervision agreement with the hygienist. Makes grammatical and other changes. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Adds reference to: 225 ILCS 25/13.10 new Removes a provision requiring training programs for public health dental hygienists to operate in a public health setting pursuant to a written public health supervision agreement with a dentist who is working in or has contracted with a local or State government agency or institution or who is providing services as part of a certified school-based program or school-based oral health program. Further amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Provides that after completion of a training program for a public health dental hygienist, a public health dental hygienist may operate in a public health setting that meets specified requirements with a dentist who is working in or has contracted with a local or State government agency or institution or who is providing services as part of a certified school-based program or school-based oral health program.