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A10638: Authorizes a limited permit to practice dental hygiene
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing a limited permit to practice dental hygiene
PURPOSE: To authorize graduates of dental hygiene programs who have met all the requirements for licensure but not yet passed the New York licensing examination to obtain limited permits to practice for a period of one year.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the education law by adding a new section 6609-b which allows a limited permit to practice dental hygiene to be granted to an individual who has met all the requirements for license as a dental hygienist but has not yet passed the required examination. The limited permit entitles the holder to practice only under the personal supervision of a licensed dentist. The limited permit shall be issued for a period of one year, and may be renewed at the discretion of the department for one additional year. The fee for such permit and for each renewal shall be fifty dollars.
Section two provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION: Under the current law, a person who has completed all the requirements for licensure as a dental hygienist, but not yet passed the required examination is not permitted to practice. However, many of the other medical professions, including physician's assistants, phys ical therapists, and dentists may obtain a limited permit authorizing them to practice under supervision for a set period of time prior to passing the required examination. Increasing access to oral healthcare and oral disease prevention for all New Yorkers continues to be a challenge. The creation of limited permits for dental hygienists would increase the number of practitioners avail able to provide dental hygiene services throughout the state, while bringing the dental hygiene profession in line with most other medical professions.
Worlds most powerful man speaks out about importance of oral health and the relationsip to total health!
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 3590, the health care overhaul bill passed by the Senate in December, thus ushering in a new era of heath care delivery in the United States. The 219-212 vote closely followed party lines with only Democrats voting in favor of the measure. The bill now awaits President Obama's signature in order to become law. H.R. 3590 contains a number of oral health provisions that will have a significant impact on the oral health care delivery system and the dental hygiene profession. As the leading resource for information about your profession, ADHA offers this update on health reform as part of the series of health reform e-mails that have been sent since August.
The House vote brings closure to more than a year of national debate about whether or not to fundamentally overhaul the national health care system. The new law will extend health care coverage to tens of millions of Americans. While much media attention has been focused on the broad medical provisions contained in H.R. 3590, little has been reported about the significant oral health provisions included in the bill. The following offers an overview of some of the key oral health provisions: