Bill > HB1062

This bill modifies Mississippi's dental hygiene regulations to allow licensed dental hygienists to provide services under general supervision (meaning the dentist is not physically present) for up to ten consecutive business days, with several specific conditions. Dental hygienists must have at least five years of practice experience, current CPR certification, and must be working under a written treatment protocol from a supervising dentist who examined the patient within the past seven months. The bill places strict limitations on this general supervision, including that a dentist can only supervise up to three dental hygienists at a time, cannot supervise a dental hygienist for more than 24 total days in a calendar year, and cannot see the same patient twice consecutively under general supervision. The services can only be provided to patients 18 years or older who are classified as ASA Class I or II health status, and cannot include administering nitrous oxide or local anesthesia. The bill also prohibits dental hygienists from establishing independent practices and restricts their employment to nonprofit public health service entities or dentist-owned offices. Additionally, the Board of Dental Examiners is authorized to assess and potentially approve dental hygiene services in nursing and correctional facilities under these guidelines, with the law set to take effect on July 1, 2025.