Sunset Process - Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The bill makes changes to the Dental Practice Act (act) by:
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Continuing the act for 9 years, until 2034;
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Updating and adding definitions;
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Changing the makeup of the Colorado dental board (board);
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Requiring the attorney general, in addition to counseling the board, to counsel and advise the board's consultants; •
Adding and updating the grounds for which the board may take disciplinary action against an applicant for licensure or a licensee;
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Allowing a licensee's submission to a mental or physical examination to satisfy the requirement to notify the board of a condition that would impair the licensee's ability to practice;
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Adding as exemptions to the act the volunteer practice of dentistry and dental hygiene under specific conditions;
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Repealing the exceptions that allow a dental therapist, dental hygienist, or dental assistant to perform certain dentistry practices and including additional tasks to the list of items included in the practice of dentistry;
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Clarifying that a dental assistant, dental hygienist, and dental therapist may perform tasks consistent with rules adopted by the board;
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Requiring providers who perform itinerant surgery to develop and maintain protocols for emergency follow-up care;
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Authorizing licensed dentists to prescribe orders electronically;
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Requiring a peer health assistance program selected as a designated provider for the dentist peer health assistance program to provide training and calibration to dentists who practice monitoring services;
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Authorizing dentists to self-refer to participate in a peer health assistance program or be referred by the board;
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Requiring an applicant for dental, dental hygienist, or dental therapy licensure to pass a jurisprudence examination that tests the applicant's knowledge of the act;
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Removing a requirement that dental education schools and programs must be accredited or approved by a specific entity;
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Requiring the board to adopt rules that allow for expedited, temporary licensure during a public health emergency;
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Repealing specific tasks that are currently authorized to be performed by a dental therapist;
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Updating procedures for the construction of dental devices by an unlicensed technician;
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Updating the list of practices that are considered to be the practice of unsupervised dental hygiene;
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Repealing the specific dosages of certain drugs that a dental hygienist may prescribe;
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Authorizing the board to adopt rules that identify safe prescribing alternatives to silver diamine fluoride as a treatment for strengthening teeth and preventing tooth decay;
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Identifying tasks that are deemed to be practicing supervised dental hygiene;
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Requiring a dental hygienist performing an interim therapeutic restoration to confirm a referral for follow-up care with a dentist;
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Limiting the number of dental hygienists that a dentist may supervise; and
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Authorizing a dental therapist to perform specific tasks.
