Proposed Text
A. A dental hygienist shall be responsible for accurate and complete information in patient records for those services provided by a hygienist or a dental assistant under direction to include the following:
1. Patient's name on each page in the patient record;
2. A health history taken and documented at the initial appointment, which is updated when local anesthesia or nitrous oxide/inhalation analgesia is to be administered and when medically indicated and at least annually;
3. Options discussed and documented written consent in the patient record for any treatment rendered with the exception of prophylaxis;
4. List of drugs administered and the route of administration, quantity, dose, and strength;
5. Radiographs, digital images, and photographs clearly labeled with the patient's name, date taken, and teeth identified;
6. A notation or documentation of an order required for treatment of a patient by a dental hygienist practicing under general supervision as required in 18VAC60-25-60 C 18VAC60-21-120; and
7. Notation of each treatment rendered, date of treatment, and the identity of the dentist and the dental hygienist providing service.
B. No dental hygienist shall willfully or negligently breach the confidentiality between a practitioner and a patient. A breach of confidentiality that is required or permitted by applicable law or beyond the control of the hygienist shall not be considered negligent or willful.
C. A dental hygienist practicing under remote supervision shall document in the patient record that the dental hygienist has obtained (i) the patient's or the patient's legal representative's signature on a statement disclosing that the delivery of dental hygiene services under remote supervision is not a substitute for the need for regular dental examinations by a dentist and (ii) verbal confirmation from the patient that the patient does not have a dentist of record whom the patient is seeing regularly.
A. The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the meanings ascribed to them in § 54.1-2700 of the Code of Virginia:
"Board"
"Dental hygiene"
"Dental hygienist"
"Dentist"
"Dentistry"
B. The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"CODA" means the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.
"Dental assistant I" means any unlicensed person under the direction of a dentist or a dental hygienist who renders assistance for services provided to the patient as authorized under this chapter but shall not include an individual serving in purely an administrative, secretarial, or clerical capacity.
"Dental assistant II" means a person under the direction and direct supervision of a dentist who is registered by the board to perform reversible, intraoral procedures as specified in 18VAC60-30-60 and 18VAC60-30-70.
"Direct supervision" means that the dentist examines the patient and records diagnostic findings prior to delegating restorative or prosthetic treatment and related services to a dental assistant II for completion the same day or at a later date. The dentist prepares the teeth to be restored and remains immediately available in the office to the dental assistant II for guidance or assistance during the delivery of treatment and related services. The dentist examines the patient to evaluate the treatment and services before the patient is dismissed.
"Direction" means the level of supervision (i.e., immediate, direct, indirect, or general) that a dentist is required to exercise with a dental hygienist, a dental assistant I, or a dental assistant II or that a dental hygienist is required to exercise with a dental assistant to direct and oversee the delivery of treatment and related services.
"General supervision" means that a dentist completes a periodic comprehensive examination of the patient and issues a written order for hygiene treatment that states the specific services to be provided by a dental hygienist during one or more subsequent appointments when the dentist may or may not be present. Issuance of the order authorizes the dental hygienist to supervise a dental assistant performing duties delegable to dental assistants I.
"Immediate supervision" means the dentist is in the operatory to supervise the administration of sedation or provision of treatment.
"Radiographs" means intraoral and extraoral radiographic images of hard and soft tissues used for purposes of diagnosis.
A. An applicant for registration by endorsement as a dental assistant II shall provide evidence of the following:
1. Current certification as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) conferred by the Dental Assisting National Board or another national credentialing organization recognized by the American Dental Association;
2. Current authorization to perform expanded duties as a dental assistant in a jurisdiction of the United States;
3. A credential, registration, or certificate from another state with qualifications substantially equivalent in hours of instruction and course content to those set forth in 18VAC60-30-120 or, if the qualifications were not substantially equivalent, documented experience in the restorative and prosthetic expanded duties set forth in 18VAC60-30-60 for at least 24 of the past 48 months preceding application for registration in Virginia.
B. An applicant shall also be certified to be in good standing from each jurisdiction of the United States in which the applicant is currently registered, certified, or credentialed or in which the applicant has ever held a registration, certificate, or credential.
