HB5948eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5948 Engrossed LRB099 20560 SMS 45111 b

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Dental Practice Act is amended by changing Sections 4, 17, and 18.1 as follows:

(225 ILCS 25/4) (from Ch. 111, par. 2304)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)

Sec. 4. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Address of record" means the designated address recorded by the Department in the applicant's or licensee's application file or license file as maintained by the Department's licensure maintenance unit. It is the duty of the applicant or licensee to inform the Department of any change of address and those changes must be made either through the Department's website or by contacting the Department.

"Department" means the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

"Secretary" means the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation.

"Board" means the Board of Dentistry.

"Dentist" means a person who has received a general license pursuant to paragraph (a) of Section 11 of this Act and who may perform any intraoral and extraoral procedure required in the practice of dentistry and to whom is reserved the responsibilities specified in Section 17.

"Dental hygienist" means a person who holds a license under this Act to perform dental services as authorized by Section 18.

"Dental assistant" means an appropriately trained person who, under the supervision of a dentist, provides dental services as authorized by Section 17.

"Dental laboratory" means a person, firm or corporation which:

(i) engages in making, providing, repairing or altering dental prosthetic appliances and other artificial materials and devices which are returned to a dentist for insertion into the human oral cavity or which come in contact with its adjacent structures and tissues; and

(ii) utilizes or employs a dental technician to provide such services; and

(iii) performs such functions only for a dentist or dentists.

"Supervision" means supervision of a dental hygienist or a dental assistant requiring that a dentist authorize the procedure, remain in the dental facility while the procedure is performed, and approve the work performed by the dental hygienist or dental assistant before dismissal of the patient, but does not mean that the dentist must be present at all times in the treatment room.

"General supervision" means supervision of a dental hygienist requiring that the patient be a patient of record, that the dentist examine the patient in accordance with Section 18 prior to treatment by the dental hygienist, and that the dentist authorize the procedures which are being carried out by a notation in the patient's record, but not requiring that a dentist be present when the authorized procedures are being performed. The issuance of a prescription to a dental laboratory by a dentist does not constitute general supervision.

"Public member" means a person who is not a health professional. For purposes of board membership, any person with a significant financial interest in a health service or profession is not a public member.

"Dentistry" means the healing art which is concerned with the examination, diagnosis, treatment planning and care of conditions within the human oral cavity and its adjacent tissues and structures, as further specified in Section 17.

"Branches of dentistry" means the various specialties of dentistry which, for purposes of this Act, shall be limited to the following: endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial radiology.

"Specialist" means a dentist who has received a specialty license pursuant to Section 11(b).

"Dental technician" means a person who owns, operates or is employed by a dental laboratory and engages in making, providing, repairing or altering dental prosthetic appliances and other artificial materials and devices which are returned to a dentist for insertion into the human oral cavity or which come in contact with its adjacent structures and tissues.

"Impaired dentist" or "impaired dental hygienist" means a dentist or dental hygienist who is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety because of a physical or mental disability as evidenced by a written determination or written consent based on clinical evidence, including deterioration through the aging process, loss of motor skills, abuse of drugs or alcohol, or a psychiatric disorder, of sufficient degree to diminish the person's ability to deliver competent patient care.

"Nurse" means a registered professional nurse, a certified registered nurse anesthetist licensed as an advanced practice nurse, or a licensed practical nurse licensed under the Nurse Practice Act.

"Patient of record" means a patient for whom the patient's most recent dentist has obtained a relevant medical and dental history and on whom the dentist has performed an examination and evaluated the condition to be treated.

"Dental responder" means a dentist or dental hygienist who is appropriately certified in disaster preparedness, immunizations, and dental humanitarian medical response consistent with the Society of Disaster Medicine and Public Health and training certified by the National Incident Management System or the National Disaster Life Support Foundation.

"Mobile dental van or portable dental unit" means any self-contained or portable dental unit in which dentistry is practiced that can be moved, towed, or transported from one location to another in order to establish a location where dental services can be provided.

"Public health dental hygienist" means a hygienist who holds a valid license to practice in the State, has 2 years of full-time clinical experience or an equivalent of 4,000 hours of clinical experience and has completed 42 clock 72 hours of additional course work in areas specific to public health dentistry, including, but not limited to, emergency procedures for medically compromised patients, pharmacology, medical recordkeeping procedures, geriatric dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and pathology, and works in a public health setting pursuant to a written public health supervision agreement as defined by rule by the Department with a dentist working in or 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.

"Public health setting" means a federally qualified health center; a federal, State, or local public health facility; Head Start; a special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) facility; or a certified school-based health center or school-based oral health program.

"Public health supervision" means the supervision of a public health dental hygienist by a licensed dentist who has a written public health supervision agreement with that public health dental hygienist while working in an approved facility or program that allows the public health dental hygienist to treat patients, without a dentist first examining the patient and being present in the facility during treatment, (1) who are eligible for Medicaid or (2) who are uninsured and whose household income is not greater than 200% of the federal poverty level.

(Source: P.A. 99-25, eff. 1-1-16; 99-492, eff. 12-31-15.)

(225 ILCS 25/17) (from Ch. 111, par. 2317)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)

Sec. 17. Acts constituting the practice of dentistry. A person practices dentistry, within the meaning of this Act:

(1) Who represents himself or herself as being able to diagnose or diagnoses, treats, prescribes, or operates for any disease, pain, deformity, deficiency, injury, or physical condition of the human tooth, teeth, alveolar process, gums or jaw; or

(2) Who is a manager, proprietor, operator or conductor of a business where dental operations are performed; or

(3) Who performs dental operations of any kind; or

(4) Who uses an X-Ray machine or X-Ray films for dental diagnostic purposes; or

(5) Who extracts a human tooth or teeth, or corrects or attempts to correct malpositions of the human teeth or jaws; or

(6) Who offers or undertakes, by any means or method, to diagnose, treat or remove stains, calculus, and bonding materials from human teeth or jaws; or

(7) Who uses or administers local or general anesthetics in the treatment of dental or oral diseases or in any preparation incident to a dental operation of any kind or character; or

(8) Who takes impressions of the human tooth, teeth, or jaws or performs any phase of any operation incident to the replacement of a part of a tooth, a tooth, teeth or associated tissues by means of a filling, crown, a bridge, a denture or other appliance; or

(9) Who offers to furnish, supply, construct, reproduce or repair, or who furnishes, supplies, constructs, reproduces or repairs, prosthetic dentures, bridges or other substitutes for natural teeth, to the user or prospective user thereof; or

(10) Who instructs students on clinical matters or performs any clinical operation included in the curricula of recognized dental schools and colleges; or

(11) Who takes impressions of human teeth or places his or her hands in the mouth of any person for the purpose of applying teeth whitening materials, or who takes impressions of human teeth or places his or her hands in the mouth of any person for the purpose of assisting in the application of teeth whitening materials. A person does not practice dentistry when he or she discloses to the consumer that he or she is not licensed as a dentist under this Act and (i) discusses the use of teeth whitening materials with a consumer purchasing these materials; (ii) provides instruction on the use of teeth whitening materials with a consumer purchasing these materials; or (iii) provides appropriate equipment on-site to the consumer for the consumer to self-apply teeth whitening materials.

The fact that any person engages in or performs, or offers to engage in or perform, any of the practices, acts, or operations set forth in this Section, shall be prima facie evidence that such person is engaged in the practice of dentistry.

The following practices, acts, and operations, however, are exempt from the operation of this Act:

(a) The rendering of dental relief in emergency cases in the practice of his or her profession by a physician or surgeon, licensed as such under the laws of this State, unless he or she undertakes to reproduce or reproduces lost parts of the human teeth in the mouth or to restore or replace lost or missing teeth in the mouth; or

(b) The practice of dentistry in the discharge of their official duties by dentists in any branch of the Armed Services of the United States, the United States Public Health Service, or the United States Veterans Administration; or

(c) The practice of dentistry by students in their course of study in dental schools or colleges approved by the Department, when acting under the direction and supervision of dentists acting as instructors; or

(d) The practice of dentistry by clinical instructors in the course of their teaching duties in dental schools or colleges approved by the Department:

(i) when acting under the direction and supervision of dentists, provided that such clinical instructors have instructed continuously in this State since January 1, 1986; or

(ii) when holding the rank of full professor at such approved dental school or college and possessing a current valid license or authorization to practice dentistry in another country; or

(e) The practice of dentistry by licensed dentists of other states or countries at meetings of the Illinois State Dental Society or component parts thereof, alumni meetings of dental colleges, or any other like dental organizations, while appearing as clinicians; or

(f) The use of X-Ray machines for exposing X-Ray films of dental or oral tissues by dental hygienists or dental assistants; or

(g) The performance of any dental service by a dental assistant, if such service is performed under the supervision and full responsibility of a dentist.

For purposes of this paragraph (g), "dental service" is defined to mean any intraoral procedure or act which shall be prescribed by rule or regulation of the Department. Dental service, however, shall not include:

(1) Any and all diagnosis of or prescription for treatment of disease, pain, deformity, deficiency, injury or physical condition of the human teeth or jaws, or adjacent structures.

(2) Removal of, or restoration of, or addition to the hard or soft tissues of the oral cavity, except for the placing, carving, and finishing of amalgam restorations by dental assistants who have had additional formal education and certification as determined by the Department. A dentist utilizing dental assistants shall not supervise more than 4 dental assistants at any one time for placing, carving, and finishing of amalgam restorations.

(3) Any and all correction of malformation of teeth or of the jaws.

(4) Administration of anesthetics, except for monitoring of nitrous oxide, conscious sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthetic as provided in Section 8.1 of this Act, that may be performed only after successful completion of a training program approved by the Department. A dentist utilizing dental assistants shall not supervise more than 4 dental assistants at any one time for the monitoring of nitrous oxide.

(5) Removal of calculus from human teeth.

(6) Taking of impressions for the fabrication of prosthetic appliances, crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, or other restorative or replacement dentistry.

(7) The operative procedure of dental hygiene consisting of oral prophylactic procedures, except for coronal polishing and pit and fissure sealants, which may be performed by a dental assistant who has successfully completed a training program approved by the Department. Dental assistants may perform coronal polishing under the following circumstances: (i) the coronal polishing shall be limited to polishing the clinical crown of the tooth and existing restorations, supragingivally; (ii) the dental assistant performing the coronal polishing shall be limited to the use of rotary instruments using a rubber cup or brush polishing method (air polishing is not permitted); and (iii) the supervising dentist shall not supervise more than 4 dental assistants at any one time for the task of coronal polishing or pit and fissure sealants.

In addition to coronal polishing and pit and fissure sealants as described in this item (7), a dental assistant who has at least 2,000 hours of direct clinical patient care experience and who has successfully completed a training program approved by rule by the Department may perform: (A) coronal scaling above the gum line, supragingivally, on the clinical crown of the tooth only on patients 12 years of age or younger who have an absence of periodontal disease and who are not medically compromised or individuals with special needs and (B) intracoronal temporization of a tooth. The training program approved by the Department must: (I) include a minimum of 16 hours of instruction in both didactic and clinical manikin or human subject instruction; all training programs shall include courses in dental anatomy, public health dentistry, medical history, dental emergencies, and managing the pediatric patient; (II) include an outcome assessment examination that demonstrates competency; (III) require the supervising dentist to observe and approve the completion of 6 full mouth supragingival scaling procedures; and (IV) issue a certificate of completion of the training program, which must be kept on file at the dental office. A dental assistant must have successfully completed an approved coronal polishing course prior to taking the coronal scaling course. A dental assistant performing these functions shall be limited to the use of hand instruments only. In addition, coronal scaling as described in this paragraph shall only be utilized on patients who are eligible for Medicaid or who are uninsured and whose household income is not greater than 200% of the federal poverty level. A dentist may not supervise more than 2 dental assistants at any one time for the task of coronal scaling. This paragraph is inoperative on and after January 1, 2021.

The limitations on the number of dental assistants a dentist may supervise contained in items (2), (4), and (7) of this paragraph (g) mean a limit of 4 total dental assistants or dental hygienists doing expanded functions covered by these Sections being supervised by one dentist.

(h) The practice of dentistry by an individual who:

(i) has applied in writing to the Department, in form and substance satisfactory to the Department, for a general dental license and has complied with all provisions of Section 9 of this Act, except for the passage of the examination specified in subsection (e) of Section 9 of this Act; or

(ii) has applied in writing to the Department, in form and substance satisfactory to the Department, for a temporary dental license and has complied with all provisions of subsection (c) of Section 11 of this Act; and

(iii) has been accepted or appointed for specialty or residency training by a hospital situated in this State; or

(iv) has been accepted or appointed for specialty training in an approved dental program situated in this State; or

(v) has been accepted or appointed for specialty training in a dental public health agency situated in this State.

The applicant shall be permitted to practice dentistry for a period of 3 months from the starting date of the program, unless authorized in writing by the Department to continue such practice for a period specified in writing by the Department.

The applicant shall only be entitled to perform such acts as may be prescribed by and incidental to his or her program of residency or specialty training and shall not otherwise engage in the practice of dentistry in this State.

The authority to practice shall terminate immediately upon:

(1) the decision of the Department that the applicant has failed the examination; or

(2) denial of licensure by the Department; or

(3) withdrawal of the application.

(Source: P.A. 98-147, eff. 1-1-14; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13; 98-756, eff. 7-16-14; 99-492, eff. 12-31-15.)

(225 ILCS 25/18.1)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2021)

Sec. 18.1. Public health dental supervision responsibilities.

(a) When working together in a public health supervision relationship, dentists and public health dental hygienists shall enter into a public health supervision agreement. The dentist providing public health supervision must:

(1) be available to provide an appropriate level of contact, communication, collaboration, and consultation with the public health dental hygienist and must meet in-person with the public health dental hygienist at least quarterly for review and consultation;

(2) have specific standing orders or policy guidelines for procedures that are to be carried out for each location or program, although the dentist need not be present when the procedures are being performed;

(3) provide for the patient's additional necessary care in consultation with the public health dental hygienist;

(4) file agreements and notifications as required; and

(5) include procedures for creating and maintaining dental records, including protocols for transmission of all records between the public health dental hygienist and the dentist following each treatment, which shall include a notation regarding procedures authorized by the dentist and performed by the public health dental hygienist and the location where those records are to be kept.

Each dentist and hygienist who enters into a public health supervision agreement must document and maintain a copy of any change or termination of that agreement.

Dental records shall be owned and maintained by the supervising dentist for all patients treated under public health supervision, unless the supervising dentist is an employee of a public health clinic or federally qualified health center, in which case the public health clinic or federally qualified health center shall maintain the records.

If a dentist ceases to be employed or contracted by the facility, the dentist shall notify the facility administrator that the public health supervision agreement is no longer in effect. A new public health supervision agreement is required for the public health dental hygienist to continue treating patients under public health supervision.

A dentist entering into an agreement under this Section may supervise and enter into agreements for public health supervision with 2 public health dental hygienists. This shall be in addition to the limit of 4 dental hygienists per dentist set forth in subsection (g) of Section 18 of this Act.

(b) A public health dental hygienist providing services under public health supervision may perform only those duties within the accepted scope of practice of dental hygiene, as follows:

(1) the operative procedures of dental hygiene, consisting of oral prophylactic procedures, including prophylactic cleanings, application of fluoride, and placement of sealants;

(2) the exposure and processing of x-ray films of the teeth and surrounding structures; and

(3) such other procedures and acts as shall be prescribed by rule of the Department.

Any patient treated under this subsection (b) must be examined by a dentist before additional services can be provided by a public health dental hygienist. However, if the supervising dentist, after consultation with the public health hygienist, determines that time is needed to complete an approved treatment plan on a patient eligible under this Section, then the dentist may instruct the hygienist to complete the remaining services prior to an oral examination by the dentist. Such instruction by the dentist to the hygienist shall be noted in the patient's records. Any services performed under this exception must be scheduled in a timely manner and shall not occur more than 30 days after the first appointment date.

(c) A public health dental hygienist providing services under public health supervision must:

(1) provide to the patient, parent, or guardian a written plan for referral or an agreement for follow-up that records all conditions observed that should be called to the attention of a dentist for proper diagnosis;

(2) have each patient sign a permission slip or consent form that informs them that the service to be received does not take the place of regular dental checkups at a dental office and is meant for people who otherwise would not have access to the service;

(3) inform each patient who may require further dental services of that need;

(4) maintain an appropriate level of contact and communication with the dentist providing public health supervision; and

(5) complete an additional 4 hours of continuing education in areas specific to public health dentistry yearly.

(d) Each public health dental hygienist who has rendered services under subsections (c), (d), and (e) of this Section must complete a summary report at the completion of a program or, in the case of an ongoing program, at least annually. The report must be completed in the manner specified by the Division of Oral Health in the Department of Public Health including information about each location where the public health dental hygienist has rendered these services. The public health dental hygienist must submit the form to the dentist providing supervision for his or her signature before sending it to the Division.

(e) Public health dental hygienists providing services under public health supervision may be compensated for their work by salary, honoraria, and other mechanisms by the employing or sponsoring entity. Nothing in this Act shall preclude the entity that employs or sponsors a public health dental hygienist from seeking payment, reimbursement, or other source of funding for the services provided.

(f) This Section is repealed on January 1, 2021.

(Source: P.A. 99-492, eff. 12-31-15.)