La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § XXXIII-1613

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 12, December 20, 2024

Section XXXIII-1613 - Continuing Education Requirements for Relicensure of Dental Hygienists

A. Unless exempted under §1607, each dental hygienist shall complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education during each renewal period for the renewal of his/her license to practice dental hygiene by taking courses approved as set forth in §1615 in the following amounts:

1. 12 hours of personally-attended clinical courses pertaining to the actual delivery of dental or dental hygiene services to patients;

2. 8 hours of clinical courses pertaining to the actual delivery of dental or dental hygiene services to patients that may be done in person, online or via correspondence; if done online or via correspondence the courses must require the successful completion of a written examination at the conclusion of the course.

B. Continuing education ordered as a result of disciplinary matters shall not serve as credit for mandatory continuing education unless specifically authorized in a consent decree or in an order issued by the board.

C. Dental hygienists are allowed continuing education credit for courses sponsored and/or approved for dentist's continuing education.

D. Past and present dental hygiene members of the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry are allowed four hours of continuing dental hygiene education credit for each meeting of the American Association of Dental Examiners attended by said past or present dental hygiene member.

E. No credit will be given for activities directed primarily to persons preparing for licensure in Louisiana.

F. Dental hygienists who are on staffs of hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations may receive continuing education credit for those continuing education courses provided by said hospital.

G. Dental hygienists will be awarded three clinical credit hours for successful completion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation course "C," basic life support for healthcare providers as defined by the American Heart Association or the Red Cross professional rescue course. When being audited for compliance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation course completion, a photocopy of the CPR card evidencing successful completion of the course for each year shall be appended to the form.

H. Dental hygienists who successfully complete a continuing education course as set forth in §710, Administration of Local Anesthesia for Dental Purposes, will be awarded 72 hours of clinical continuing dental hygiene education. However, these hours may not be carried over to a subsequent renewal period and will count only toward the renewal of their license during the period in which they attended the course.

I. Dental hygienists successfully completing the calibration training for the administration of the clinical licensing examination administered by the Council of Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA) may be awarded up to 12 hours of clinical continuing education per each renewal period.

J. Louisiana licensed dental hygienists shall be eligible for two hours of clinical continuing education for treating a donated dental service patient (pro bono) from a Louisiana State Board of Dentistry approved agency. The maximum number of hours will be no more than four in any two-year biennial renewal period, and verification of treatment from the agency is mandatory in order to obtain these continuing education credits.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § XXXIII-1613

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Dentistry, LR 20:661 (June 1994), amended LR 21:570 (June 1995), LR 22:24 (January 1996), LR 22:1217 (December 1996), LR 23:1526 (November 1997), LR 24:1118 (June 1998), LR 25:510 (March 1999), LR 26:489 (March 2000), LR 30:2307 (October 2004), LR 32:245 (February 2006), LR 35:1237 (July 2009), LR 36:2039 (September 2010), LR 39:86 (January 2013), Amended by the Department of Health, Board of Dentistry, LR 4447 (1/1/2018).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:760(8) and (13).