Email Cathy Blank

 As President of the Maryland Dental Hygienists Association I am pleased to say that our House Bill 751 (SB 647) was signed into law on May 22, 1997. This bill put into statute (law) what has always been assumed and practiced in the state of Maryland. We secured in statute the language that specified ---- to apply for a Maryland DH license one must be a graduate of a Dental Hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. This may not seem like such a big deal until you look at the state of Alabama which now has preceptorship. Preceptorship means dental hygienists are trained with some schooling, and the clinical part is taught by the Dentist in the office. Preceptorship training is no where near the educational process that dental hygienists from accredited schools go through.

If language such as our new law is in your state statutes, that is great!! That means that the statute would have to go through the legislative change process in order for preceptorship training schools to be accepted by your state=s Licensing Board. If you live in another state other than Maryland, check your statutes and regulations pertaining to DH licensure. If they do not specify certain educational requirements, I would suggest that you check with your state DH Association to see if something is being done to secure the language. If not, I then suggest that you see that the Aball starts to roll.@ Prevention has always been Dental Hygienists= forte. Securing the language for application for licensure will help to secure our profession. Don=t stand idle and then have to think of a defensive strategy. Be proactive, not reactive!!!

I=d love to hear from others who are active in legislation in other states. This is where major decisions about our profession are made. Again ADHA is a great source of information. Use them if you need some information -- just call, they are very willing to help!!!