2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 12 - Professions and Occupations
Health Care
Article 35 - Dentists and Dental Hygienists
Part 1 - General Provisions
§ 12-35-128.5. Interim therapeutic restorations by dental hygienists - permitting process - repeal

Legislative Alert:

LEXSEE 2017 Colo. HB 1010 -- See section 3.

(1) Upon application, accompanied by a fee in an amount determined by the director, the board shall grant a permit to place interim therapeutic restorations to any dental hygienist applicant who:

(a) Holds a license in good standing to practice dental hygiene in Colorado;

(b) Has completed a course developed at the postsecondary educational level that complies with the uniform standards developed, and rules adopted, pursuant to section 12-35-128.3. The course must be offered under the direct supervision of a member of the faculty of a Colorado dental or dental hygiene school accredited by the commission on dental accreditation or its successor agency. All faculty responsible for clinical evaluation of students must be dentists with a faculty appointment at an accredited Colorado dental or dental hygiene school.

(c) Carries current professional liability insurance in the amount specified in section 12-35-141(2), C.R.S.; and

(d) Has completed the following hours of dental hygiene practice as evidenced in documentation required by the board:

(I) Two thousand hours of supervised dental hygiene practice after initial dental hygiene licensure;

(II) Four thousand hours of unsupervised dental hygiene practice after initial dental hygiene licensure; or

(III) A combination of the hours specified in subparagraphs (I) and (II) of this paragraph (d) as determined by the board by rule.

(2) The board may waive the requirement in paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of this section for a dental hygienist who performs interim therapeutic restorations exclusively under the direct supervision of a dentist.

(3) A dental hygienist shall not use local anesthesia for the purpose of placing interim therapeutic restorations.

(4) (a) A dental hygienist may place an interim therapeutic restoration only after a dentist provides a diagnosis, treatment plan, and instruction to perform the procedure.

(b) If an interim therapeutic restoration is authorized by a supervising dentist at a location other than the dentist's practice location, the dental hygienist shall provide the patient or the patient's representative with written notification that the care was provided at the direction of the supervising dentist. The dental hygienist shall include in the written notification the dentist's name, practice location address, and telephone number.

(c) A dental hygienist who obtains a dentist's diagnosis, treatment plan, and instruction to perform an ITR utilizing telehealth by store-and-forward transfer shall notify the patient of the patient's right to receive interactive communication with the distant dentist upon request. Communication with the distant dentist may occur either at the time of the consultation or within thirty days after the dental hygienist notifies the patient of the results of the consultation.

(5) A dental hygienist who obtains a permit pursuant to this section may place interim therapeutic restorations in a dental office setting under the direct or indirect supervision of a dentist or through telehealth supervision for purposes of communication with the dentist.

(6) A dentist shall not supervise more than five dental hygienists who place interim therapeutic restorations under telehealth supervision. A dentist who supervises a dental hygienist who provides interim therapeutic restorations under telehealth supervision must have a physical practice location in Colorado for purposes of patient referral for follow-up care.

(7) A dental hygienist shall inform the patient or the patient's legal guardian, in writing, and require the patient or the patient's legal guardian to acknowledge by signature, that the interim therapeutic restoration is a temporary repair to the tooth and that appropriate follow-up care with a dentist is necessary.

(8) This section is repealed, effective September 1, 2021. Prior to the repeal, the department of regulatory agencies shall review the permitting of dental hygienists to place interim therapeutic restorations as provided in section 24-34-104, C.R.S.