Chapter 193 Oregon Laws 2001

AN ACT

HB 2469

Relating to licensure without further examination by Oregon Board of Dentistry; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 679.070 and 680.060.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. ORS 679.070 is amended to read:

679.070. (1) The Oregon Board of Dentistry may administer written, laboratory or clinical examinations to test professional knowledge and skills.

(2) The examination shall be elementary and practical in character but sufficiently thorough to test the fitness of the applicant to practice dentistry. It shall include, written in the English language, questions on any subjects pertaining to dental science. The written examination may be supplemented by oral examination. Demonstrations of the applicant’s skill in operative and prosthetic dentistry also may be required. The examination shall be conducted under oath or affirmation before the board, and any member of the board may administer the necessary oath or affirmation.

(3) The board may accept the results of national standardized examinations in satisfaction of the written examination as authorized by this section, and may accept the results of regional testing agencies or of clinical board examinations [in] administered by other states in satisfaction of the laboratory or clinical examination authorized [by] under this section.

(4) The board shall accept the results of regional testing agencies or of clinical board examinations administered by other states in satisfaction of the examinations authorized under this section for applicants who have engaged in the active practice of dentistry in other states or in the Armed Forces of the United States, the United States Public Health Service or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for at least 3,500 hours in the five years immediately preceding application and who meet all other requirements for licensure.

SECTION 2. ORS 680.060 is amended to read:

680.060. (1) The Oregon Board of Dentistry may administer written, laboratory or clinical examinations to test professional knowledge and skills.

(2) The examination shall be sufficiently thorough to test the fitness of the applicant to practice dental hygiene. It shall include, written in the English language, questions on any subjects pertaining to dental hygiene. The written examination may be supplemented by oral examination. Demonstrations of the applicant’s skill in clinical dental hygiene also may be required. The examination shall be conducted under oath or affirmation before the board, and any member of the board may administer the necessary oath or affirmation.

(3) The board may accept the results of national standardized examinations in satisfaction of the written examination as authorized by this section, and may accept the results of regional testing agencies or of clinical board examinations administered by other states in satisfaction of the clinical examination authorized [by] under this section.

(4) The board shall accept the results of regional testing agencies or of clinical board examinations administered by other states in satisfaction of the examinations authorized under this section for applicants who have engaged in the active practice of dental hygiene in other states or in the Armed Forces of the United States, the United States Public Health Service or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for a period of at least 3,500 hours in the five years immediately preceding application and who meet all other requirements for licensure.

SECTION 3. Section 4 of this 2001 Act is added to and made a part of ORS 680.010 to 680.205.

SECTION 4. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of ORS 680.010 to 680.205, the Oregon Board of Dentistry shall issue a dental hygiene instructor’s license to any person who:

(a) Is or will be a full-time instructor of dental hygiene engaged in the practice of dental hygiene, including but not limited to participation in a faculty practice plan within the scope of the applicant’s employment at the Oregon Health Sciences University;

(b) Is a graduate of a dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or its successor agency, if any; and

(c) Is licensed to practice dental hygiene in another state or a Canadian province.

(2) The board shall by rule establish standards, procedures and fees for the issuance, suspension, revocation and renewal of a dental hygiene instructor’s license.

(3) The board may refuse to issue or renew a dental hygiene instructor’s license to an applicant or licensee:

(a) Who has been convicted of an offense or disciplined by a dental licensing body in a manner that bears, in the judgment of the board, a demonstrable relationship to the ability of the applicant or licensee to practice dental hygiene in accordance with the provisions of ORS 680.010 to 680.205;

(b) Who has falsified an application for licensure; or

(c) For cause as described under ORS 679.140 or 679.170.

(4) An applicant who receives a dental hygiene instructor’s license is restricted to the practice of dental hygiene in a facility devoted to dental care on the campus of the Oregon Health Sciences University.

(5) An applicant who receives a dental hygiene instructor’s license is subject to the professional ethics, standards and discipline of ORS 680.010 to 680.205.

Approved by the Governor May 25, 2001

Filed in the office of Secretary of State May 25, 2001

Effective date January 1, 2002

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