MAINE DHA HONORED

 

The Maine Dental Hygienists' Association was presented with an ADHA Presidential Citation during the ADHA Annual Session in Las Vegas in June 2014.

 

The Presidential Citation was granted in recognition for leadership in

transforming the dental hygiene profession with the introduction of Dental Hygiene Therapist in Maine.

 

This new member of the oral health team will be a registered dental hygienist who has additional education and experience. Qualifications for a dental hygienist or independent practice dental hygienist to practice as a dental hygiene therapist include a

valid license to practice and successful completion of a dental hygiene therapy education program that

A. is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or a successor organization;

B. is a minimum of four semesters;

C. is consistent with the model curriculum for educating dental hygiene therapists adopted by the American Association of Public Health Dentistry or a successor organization, is consistent with existing dental hygiene therapy programs in other states and is approved by the board; and

D. meets the requirements for dental hygiene therapy education programs adopted by the board:

* Bachelor of Science degree. Has been awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene, which may be completed

concurrently or consecutively with a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene;

* Examination. Has passed a comprehensive, competency-based clinical examination; and

* Supervised clinical practice. Has completed 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice under the supervision of a dentist. An applicant's hours of supervised clinical experience while enrolled in the four-semester dental training therapy program may be included.

 

After completing the 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice, a dental hygiene therapist may provide services, within their scope of practice and under the direct supervision of a dentist licensed in Maine, in the following health settings: a hospital, public school, nursing facility, residential care facility, clinic, health center reimbursed as a Federally Qualified Health Center, federally qualified health center, public health setting that serves underserved populations or private dental practice in which at least 50 percent of the patients who are provided services by that dental hygiene therapist are covered by the MaineCare program or are underserved adults.

 

Maine's dental hygiene therapist may practice only under the direct supervision of a dentist who is licensed

in Maine and through a written practice agreement signed by both parties. A written practice agreement is a signed document that outlines the functions that the dental hygiene therapist is authorized to perform.

As in other parts of the U.S., lack of access to dental care is a serious problem in Maine. While the creation of dental hygiene therapists to improve the oral and overall health of Maine residents is a positive step, the legislation as written would be improved with the removal of restrictions that prevent the new provider from working in locations such as nursing homes, schools, physicians' offices and hospitals as well as dental offices without the direct supervision of a dentist.

ADHA policy recognizes that dental hygienists who are graduates of an accredited program are competent to provide dental hygiene services without supervision. Oral health care providers in Minnesota and Alaska - as well as more than 50 countries worldwide - are already proving that underserved populations can be served safely and effectively under off-site or general supervision by collaborating dentists.

 

Duties of the Dental Hygiene Therapist in Maine

The dental hygiene therapist will perform duties within the scope of the written practice agreement. These may include

* Assessment

* Cavity preparations and restorations

* Simple extractions

* Placement of crowns and space maintainers

* Referrals

* Administration of local and nitrous oxide

anesthesia

* Preventive services and trauma management

* Administration of radiographs

* Provision, dispensing and administration of

Medications

 

Stateline is prepared by the ADHA division of Governmental Affairs.

ACCESS July 2014 pages 10 & 11