| HB 1593, establishing a board of dental hygienists, is scheduled for a public hearing next Thursday, January 28, 2010, at 11:00 a.m., before the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee. NHDHA would welcome your support of this legislation, which is our #1 priority for the 2010 session.
While dentists and dental hygienists practice in the same health care space, they are indeed different professions and have unique needs and specialties that are best addressed through separate regulatory administration. Right now, licensing, continuing education, and consumer and patient complaints of New Hampshire's 1,571 licensed dental hygienists fall under the Board of Dental Examiners (BODE), which is comprised of 6 dentists, two hygienists and one public member.
In the current framework, dental hygiene and issues related to preventive oral health are not always given the attention or the timely action needed to best protect and serve the public. A recent example is the dental sealants rule, which, although backed by science and supported by a BODE subcommittee, took several years before it was adopted earlier this month. Access to care will be improved with a separate board, NHDHA believes.
This 2006 statement from the US Department of Health and Human Services' Bureau of Health Professions sums it up:
The dental hygiene profession has progressed less quickly than most other health professions. This is largely due to the regulation of the profession by dentistry. Self-regulation provides a profession with the autonomy to govern licensed professionals within the boundaries of patient safety while maintaining or elevating the profession by encouraging expertise in professional practice. The regulation of hygienists by the profession of dentistry limits the hygienist profession to practice consistent with the prerogatives of another profession. This situation is at variance with the prevailing standard of self-regulation by most health professions. Self regulation through dental hygiene boards or committees within states would permit hygienists to have some needed professional control while still ensuring the quality of preventive and prophylactic services provided to patients.
We hope you will show your support for the profession of dental hygiene by registering your support of HB 1593 with the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee, Room 306, Legislative Office Building, Concord NH 03301; or by contacting your local legislator.
Thank you, and enjoy the weekend!
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