Maine Revised Statutes
Subchapter 3: LICENSING QUALIFICATIONS
32 §18345. Dental hygienist

§18345. Dental hygienist
1. Dental hygienist license. Except as provided in section 18347, an applicant for a dental hygienist license must comply with section 18341 and must provide:
A. Verification of having successfully passed all examinations required by board rule and one of the following:
(1) Verification of an associate degree or higher in dental hygiene from a program accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization or the educational equivalent of a dental hygiene degree, as determined by the board; or
(2) Verification of having completed at least 1/2 of the prescribed course of study in an accredited dental college as a dental student. [PL 2021, c. 163, §6 (AMD).]
[PL 2021, c. 163, §6 (AMD).]
2. Additional authority. A dental hygienist licensed under this section or section 18347 who applies for additional authority must comply with section 18341 and must provide:
A. For independent practice dental hygienist authority, verification of 2,000 work hours of clinical practice.
For purposes of meeting the clinical practice requirements of this paragraph, the applicant's hours in a private dental practice or nonprofit setting under the supervision of a dentist may be included as well as the applicant's hours as a public health dental hygienist or, prior to July 29, 2016, as a dental hygienist with public health supervision status; [PL 2017, c. 139, §1 (AMD).]
B. For public health dental hygienist authority:
(1) A copy of the written agreement between the applicant and a supervising dentist that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the parties, which must include, but is not limited to, the level of supervision provided by the dentist, the practice settings, the standing orders and the coordination and collaboration that each party must undertake if additional patient care is needed; and
(2) Verification that the services will be offered in a public health setting; [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
C. For dental therapist authority:
(2) Verification of a master's degree in dental therapy from a school accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization or a master's degree in dental therapy from a program that meets the requirements adopted by board rule consistent with the accreditation standards identified by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or its successor organization;
(3) Verification of passing a clinical examination and all other examinations required by board rule. The clinical examination must be a comprehensive, competency-based clinical examination approved by the board and administered independently of an institution providing dental therapy education;
(4) Verification of having engaged in 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice under the supervision of a dentist and in conformity with rules adopted by the board, during which supervised clinical practice the applicant is authorized to practice pursuant to paragraph F.
For purposes of meeting the clinical requirements of this subparagraph, an applicant's hours of supervised clinical experience completed under the supervision of a dentist licensed in another state or a Canadian province may be included, as long as the applicant was operating lawfully under the laws and rules of that state or province; and
(5) A copy of the written practice agreement and standing orders required by section 18377, subsection 3. [PL 2021, c. 44, §§1-3 (AMD).]
D. For local anesthesia authority:
(1) Verification of having successfully completed a course of study required by board rule; and
(2) Verification of passing all examinations required by board rule; [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
E. For nitrous oxide analgesia authority:
(1) Verification of having successfully completed a course of study required by board rule; and
(2) Verification of passing all examinations required by board rule; and [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
F. For provisional dental therapist authority:
(1) Verification of meeting the requirements of paragraph C, subparagraphs (2) and (3); and
(2) A copy of the written agreement between the applicant and a dentist who will provide levels of supervision consistent with the scope of practice outlined in section 18377 and in conformity with rules adopted by the board.
During the period of provisional authority the applicant may be compensated for services performed as a dental therapist. The period of provisional authority may not exceed 3 years. [PL 2021, c. 44, §4 (AMD).]
[PL 2021, c. 44, §§1-4 (AMD).]
3. Faculty dental hygiene license. An applicant for a faculty dental hygienist license must comply with section 18341 and must provide:
A. Verification of an active dental hygiene license in good standing issued under the laws of another state, a United States territory, a foreign nation or a foreign administrative division that issues licenses in the dental professions; and [PL 2021, c. 163, §7 (AMD).]
B. Credentials, satisfactory to the board, including a letter from the employing school of dentistry, dental hygiene or denturism indicating that the applicant satisfies the credentialing standards of the school and that the applicant will teach:
(1) Dental hygiene or denturism in this State as part of a clinical and didactic program for professional education for dental students and dental residents accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or a successor organization approved by the board;
(2) Dental hygiene in this State as part of a clinical and didactic program for professional education for dental hygiene students and dental hygiene residents accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation or a successor organization approved by the board; or
(3) Denturism in this State as part of a board-approved clinical and didactic program for professional education for denturism students. [PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW).]
[PL 2021, c. 163, §7 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 2015, c. 429, §21 (NEW). PL 2017, c. 139, §1 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 388, §9 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 388, §7 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 44, §§1-4 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 163, §§6, 7 (AMD).