Alaska Statutes 08.32.110 – Scope of practice of dental hygienists

(a) The role of the dental hygienist is to assist members of the dental profession in providing oral health care to the public. A person licensed to practice the profession of dental hygiene in the state may,

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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 08.32.110

Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, organization, business trust, or society, as well as a natural person. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
state: means the State of Alaska unless applied to the different parts of the United States and in the latter case it includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
writing: includes printing. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060

(1) under the general supervision of a licensed dentist,

(A) perform preliminary charting and triage to formulate a dental hygiene assessment and dental hygiene treatment plan;

(B) remove calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from the exposed surfaces of the teeth beginning at the epithelial attachment by scaling and polishing techniques;

(C) remove marginal overhangs;

(D) use local periodontal therapeutic agents;

(E) perform nonsurgical periodontal therapy;

(F) perform other dental operations and services delegated by a licensed dentist if the dental operations and services are not prohibited by (c) of this section;

(G) if certified by the board, administer local anesthetic agents; and

(2) if certified by the board and under the direct or indirect supervision of a licensed dentist, administer and monitor nitrous oxide-oxygen conscious sedation.

(b) The board shall specify by regulation those additional functions that may be performed by a licensed dental hygienist only upon successful completion of a formal course of instruction approved by the board. The board shall adopt regulations specifying the education requirements, evaluation procedures, and degree of supervision required for each function.

(c) This section does not authorize delegation of

(1) dental diagnosis, comprehensive treatment planning, and writing prescriptions for drugs; writing authorizations for restorative, prosthetic, or orthodontic appliances;

(2) operative or surgical procedures on hard or soft tissues; or

(3) other procedures that require the professional competence and skill of a dentist.

(d)[Repealed, Sec. 8 ch 111 SLA 2008].

(e) This section does not prohibit a licensed dental hygienist

(1) with an endorsement issued under Alaska Stat. § 08.32.085 from performing the activities authorized under Alaska Stat. § 08.32.085;

(2) who holds an advanced practice permit issued by the board under Alaska Stat. § 08.32.125 or has entered into a collaborative agreement approved by the board under Alaska Stat. § 08.32.115 from performing the activities authorized under the permit or collaborative agreement; or

(3) from performing a dental operation, procedure, or service a dentist may delegate to a dental assistant under Alaska Stat. § 08.36.346 or that a licensed dental hygienist who holds an advanced practice permit issued by the board under Alaska Stat. § 08.32.125 may delegate to a dental assistant under Alaska Stat. § 08.36.346 (c).

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