June 6, 2014
On Friday, June 6, Gov. Hickenlooper signed HB 1227, the Sunset Review of the Dental Practice Act, into law. The revised Dental Practice Act will be in effect as of July 1, however, several changes must still undergo rulemaking. The CDA will keep members posted as these modifications take effect. The Sunset Review is a process where the laws that govern dentistry are reviewed and updated. This process occurs approximately every 10 years. Working with dental stakeholders and the Colorado Dental Hygienists’ Association, the CDA was successful in lobbying for a bill that will best serve the entire dental profession for years to come.
Three of the CDA and CDHA priority recommendations were included in the final bill:
- Requirements for anesthesia permits (including separate pediatric permits), re-inspection of dental facilities upon re-issuance of permits, and mandatory training. This is the single highest risk procedure that a dentist engages in and the CDA felt these additions were critical to ensure patient safety.
- Limited prescriptive authority for hygienists. This is an agreement worked out between the dentists and the hygienists that will allow greater access-to-care. The formulary is detailed in statute and is required to be in direct collaboration with a dentist.
- 30 mandatory hours of continuing education for dentists and hygienists, per licensure cycle. The bill also provides rule making authority for CE credits for inactive and retired licenses.