Dental hygiene licensure specifications on pain control procedures

Area of Science:

• Dental hygiene
• Anesthesiology
• Public health

Background:

• Dental hygienists' scope of practice is evolving.
• Pain control procedures are increasingly being delegated to dental hygienists.
• Understanding current licensure specifications is crucial for practice standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey state dental boards and hygiene presidents regarding current licensure specifications for dental hygienist administration of pain control.
• To identify trends and variations in the delegation of nitrous oxide analgesia and infiltration, block, and topical anesthesia.
• To compare perceptions of dental boards and hygiene presidents on these delegated functions.

Main Methods:

• Identical surveys were sent to 51 state boards of dentistry and 51 constituent hygiene presidents.
• Response rates were 72% for boards (N=37) and 90% for presidents (N=46).
• Data analyzed to determine current licensure specifications for four pain control functions.

Main Results:

• Western states are more likely to permit delegation of pain control functions.
• Topical anesthesia is the most delegated, while nitrous oxide analgesia is the least delegated.
• Most states legalized delegation in the 1970s/1980s, often requiring direct/indirect supervision and board-approved certification.

Conclusions:

• Significant variation exists in dental hygienist scope of practice regarding pain control.
• Western states show a higher propensity for delegating these functions.
• There is general agreement between boards and presidents on allowed functions and certification, but less on supervision specifics.