License: Dental Hygienists

MS State Board of Dental Examiners external site

600 East Amite Street

Suite 100

Jackson, MS 39201-2801

(601) 944-9622

LICENSE REQUIRED Every person who desires to practice dental hygiene in this state must obtain a license to do so as hereinafter provided; but this section shall not apply to dental hygienists now holding permanent licenses to practice provided the same have been recorded as required by law. For the purpose of this chapter, a dental hygienist shall be an individual, who has completed an accredited dental hygiene education program, passed the national dental hygiene board and is licensed by the State Board of Dental Examiners to provide, as an auxiliary to the dentist, preventive care services including, but not limited to, scaling and polishing. In fulfilling these services, dental hygienists provide treatment that helps to prevent oral disease such as dental caries and periodontal disease and for educating patients in prevention of these and other dental problems. The work of dental hygienists and dental assistants while working in the office of a regularly licensed and registered dentist shall at all times be under the direct supervision of the dentist. Dental hygienists in the employ of the State Board of Health or public school boards shall be limited to only performing oral hygiene instruction and screening when under the general supervision and direction of regularly licensed and registered dentists. Dental hygienists recognized by the Board of Dental Examiners when making public demonstrations of dental hygiene for educational purposes shall be under the general supervision and direction of regularly licensed and registered dentists. The Board of Dental Examiners may prohibit any dental hygienist or other auxiliary personnel from rendering service that it feels is not in the best interest of the public welfare. Only the licensees registered on the appropriate list as actively practicing in the State of Mississippi shall be authorized to practice their profession. For the purpose of this section, any licensed dental hygienist who has actively practiced his or her profession for at least three (3) months of the immediately preceding license renewal period shall be considered in active practice. Any licensed dentist or dental hygienist registered on the inactive list shall not be eligible for registration on the active list until either of the following conditions have been satisfied: (a) Written application shall be submitted to the State Board of Dental Examiners stating the reasons for the inactivity and setting forth such other information as the board may require on an individual basis; or (b) Evidence to the satisfaction of the board shall be submitted that they have actively practiced their profession in good standing in another state and have not been guilty of conduct that would warrant suspension or revocation as provided by applicable law. No person who desires to practice dental hygiene in the State of Mississippi shall be licensed until that person has passed an examination by the board. Applicants for examination shall apply in writing to the board for an examination at least thirty (30) days before the examination and shall upon application pay a nonrefundable fee of $250. An applicant for licensure by examination as a dental hygienist who is a graduate of a dental hygiene school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association (ADA), or its successor commission, shall: (a) Be of good moral character, be possessed of a high school education and have attained the age of eighteen (18) years; (b) Exhibit with the application a diploma or certificate of graduation from the ADA accredited dental hygiene school; and (c) Have successfully completed the National Board Dental Hygiene Examinations of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, or its successor commission. An applicant for licensure by examination as a dental hygienist who is a graduate of a non-ADA accredited foreign country dental hygiene school shall: (a) Be of good moral character and have attained the age of eighteen (18) years; (b) Be proficient in oral and written communications in the English language; (c) Have completed not less than two (2) academic years of postsecondary study and graduated from a foreign dental hygiene school that is recognized by the licensure authorities in that country; (d) Have been licensed as a dental hygienist or admitted to the practice of dental hygiene in the foreign country in which the applicant received foreign dental hygiene school training; (e) Present documentation of having completed at least one or more years of full-time post-graduate clinical education in a dental hygiene school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, or its successor commission, and has been certified by the dean of the accredited dental hygiene school as having achieved the same level of didactic and clinical competence as expected of a graduate of the school; and (f) Have successfully completed the National Board Dental Hygiene Examinations of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, or its successor commission. The Board of Dental Examiners may, at its own discretion, accept certification of a licensure applicant, either dentist or dental hygienist, by the National Board Examinations of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, or its successor commission, in lieu of the written examination. However, in all such instances the board shall retain the right to administer such further written and practical examinations and demonstrations as it deems necessary. ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURE FOR QUALIFYING FOR LICENSE BASED ON CREDENTIALS (1) In addition to the method for obtaining a license to practice dentistry or dental hygiene by way of examination as provided by Section 73-9-23, the board, in its sole discretion, may grant a license to a candidate who meets the following criteria: (a) Submit proof of graduation from a dental school or school of dental hygiene accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association (ADA), or its successor commission. (b) Be engaged in the active practice of dentistry or dental hygiene or in full-time dental education or dental hygiene education for the past five (5) years; (c) Currently hold a valid, unrestricted and unexpired license in a state whose standards for licensure are determined by the board as equivalent to Mississippi's standards, and which state grants reciprocity or licensure by credentials to licensees of the State of Mississippi; (d) Provides an endorsement from all states in which he or she is currently licensed or has ever been licensed to practice dentistry or dental hygiene; (e) Has not been the subject of pending or final disciplinary action in any state in which the applicant has been licensed; (f) Is not the subject of a pending investigation in any other state or jurisdiction; (g) Has passed a state or regional clinical licensure examination and, within the past five (5) years, has not failed a clinical licensure examination administered by another state, jurisdiction, or regional licensing board; (h) Has not failed at any time, a licensure examination administered by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners; (i) Provides a written statement agreeing to appear for interviews at the request of the board; (j) Has successfully completed all parts of the National Board Examinations of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, or its successor commission, unless the applicant graduated from an accredited dental or dental hygiene school before 1960; (k) Successfully passes a written jurisprudence examination; (l) Provides payment of a nonrefundable application fee as provided in Section 73-9-43; and (m) In addition, the State Board of Dental Examiners may consider the following in accepting, rejecting or denying an application for licensure by credentialing: (i) Information from the National Practitioner Data Bank, the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank and/or the American Association of Dental Examiners Clearinghouse for Disciplinary Information. (ii) Questioning under oath. (iii) Results of peer review reports from constituent societies and/or federal dental services. (iv) Substance abuse testing or treatment. (v) Background checks for criminal or fraudulent activities. (vi) Participation in continuing education. (vii) A current certificate in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. (viii) Recent patient case reports and/or oral defense of diagnosis and treatment plans. (ix) No physical or psychological impairment that would adversely affect the ability to deliver quality dental care. (x) Agreement to initiate practice in the credentialing jurisdiction within a reasonable period of time. (xi) Proof of professional liability coverage and that the coverage has not been refused, declined, canceled, non-renewed or modified. (xii) Any additional information or documentation that the board may stipulate by rule or regulation as necessary to qualify for a license by credentialing. (2) The board shall be granted sufficient time to conduct a complete inquiry into the applicant's qualifications for licensure by credentials, and the board may adopt such rules and regulations pertaining to the time needed to conduct investigations and the responsibility of applicants to produce verifiable documentation. (3) Any applicant failing to meet the criteria in subsection (1) of this section shall not be eligible for a license based on credentials. Upon meeting the criteria in subsection (1) of this section, the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners may, in its discretion, issue to the applicant a license to practice dentistry, or dental hygiene, unless grounds for denial of licensure exist as enumerated in Section 73-9-61. Evidence of falsification in the application for licensure through credentialing will result in revocation of the license. (4) Any applicant applying for a specialty license by credentials must stay within his or her board recognized specialty and must practice only that specialty within the State of Mississippi. A specialty license holder must hold a general dentistry license before obtaining a specialty license. (5) The issuance of a license by reciprocity to a military-trained applicant or military spouse shall be subject to the provisions of Section 73-50-1. CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION Purpose: To establish Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation requirements for dentists, dental hygienists, and all other dental auxiliary personnel. 1. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) requirements will be effective on July 1, 1994, and reporting will be incorporated with the annual registration to be submitted July 1, 1995. Refer to Board Regulation #41 concerning reporting requirements. 2. Effective July 1, 2012, all dental offices in the State of Mississippi shall be required to have a minimum of one (1) properly functioning Automated External Defibrillator (AED), or equivalent defibrillator, on the premises of each dental office. Each AED, or equivalent defibrillator, shall be maintained in a properly functioning capacity at all times. Proof of the availability of a properly functioning AED, or equivalent defibrillator, shall be made available for review at any time by any member of the Board or by any designated agent of the Board. 3. All dentists and dental hygienists licensed by the State of Mississippi and holding active licenses shall be currently certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Further, all auxiliary personnel involved in direct patient care must be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. All auxiliaries must be certified in CPR within one hundred eighty (180) days of employment. 4. Proof of certification shall be maintained by the dentist or dental hygienist for the time period specified in Board Regulation 41 and shall be made available for review at any time by any member of the Board or by any designated agent of the Board. When a Board member or any designated agent thereof shall conduct any authorized investigation, any and all proof of certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation will be reviewed and/or audited by such Board member or authorized agent during the course of the investigation. Finally, when any licensee is noticed to appear before the Board to show cause why that licensee's dental or dental hygiene license should not be suspended, revoked, or have other action taken against it, that licensee is required to present proof of compliance with this Regulation. 5. False certification of CPR courses or failure to comply with this Regulation shall subject the dentist or dental hygienist to disciplinary action, including revocation of license. Fines will be assessed for failure to comply with this Regulation. Fines assessed herein will correspond to those fines enumerated in Board Regulation #41 for non-compliance with continuing education requirements. 6. Participation in approved Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), American Heart Association (AHA), or American Red Cross (ARC) courses may be used to fulfill the requirements of this Regulation. All other equivalent courses shall be approved by the Board on a case-by-case basis; however, in no instance shall any course be approved by the Board that does not contain a hands-on mannequin component. 7. Any dentist or dental hygienist requesting a change from inactive to active status is not required to meet the CPR requirements for the reporting period during which that dentist or dental hygienist was inactive. However, any dentist or dental hygienist requesting active status must, within the previous twelve (12) months prior to requesting active status, be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. 8. Any dentist or dental hygienist requesting reinstatement of a license which was voided for a failure to re-register or which was revoked must, within the previous twelve (12) months prior to requesting licensure reinstatement, be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. LICENSURE BY CREDENTIALS 1. The Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners has determined that a dentist or dental hygienist must practice a minimum of ninety (90) days per year from the date the application for licensure by credentials is received by the Board to be considered as actively practicing for the past five (5) years, pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 73-9-24(1)(b). 2. The Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners has determined that a maximum of two (2) years of a candidate's participation in an approved residency program may be used toward fulfilling the minimum five-year, active practice requirement stipulated by Miss. Code Ann. § 73-9-24(1)(b).