¶ The Fight for Dental Care | Feb 2022

Legal Definitions

Definitions from the Dental Practice Act.

• Public Health Dental Hygienist (PHDH), a hygienist who holds a valid license to practice in the State, has 2 years of full-time clinical experience or an equivalent of 4,000 hours of clinical experience and has completed at least 42 clock hours of additional structured courses in dental education in advanced areas specific to public health dentistry.
• Public health setting: a federally qualified health center; a federal, State, or local public health facility; Head Start; a special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) facility; or a certified school-based health center or school-based oral health program.
  • SB3122 would add "or a nursing home or long-term care community" to this definition
• Public health supervision: the supervision of a public health dental hygienist by a licensed dentist who has a written public health supervision agreement with that public health dental hygienist while working in an approved facility or program that allows the public health dental hygienist to treat patients, without a dentist first examining the patient and being present in the facility during treatment, (1) who are eligible for Medicaid or (2) who are uninsured and whose household income is not greater than 200% of the federal poverty level.

I began with a bias in support of IDHA's position. This situation was brought to my attention by a friend of mine who is a dental hygienist. I attempted to put that bias aside. I read a lot of documents and articles and am really disgusted with the Illinois State Dental Society. I do not believe they are genuine. They have a really strong lobbying force. They use language that mirrors other propaganda I have seen. I do think there are probably good intentions on both sides, as far as the supporters of the bills go, but I'm really not convinced ISDS is being genuine.

This story is far more complicated than one might think. For example, I read parts of a paper from 2003 that was talking about this same health care issue. This also ties into legislation with nurses that ISDS opposed and I did not do a deep dive on that. I'm an indpendent journalist and doing this in my free time, so I'm crunching as much in as i can, but not being anywhere near as thorough as you deserve.

I would like to have thorough reviews of all the sources, but I'm out of time to work on this. I would like to structure this information better, but I'm out of time to work on this. On top of having work separate from this journalism, this legislation may be voted on very soon, so this article is time-sensitive if it is to illuminate anything.

I am not a lawyer. I am not a medical professional. I am not equipped to properly assess the legislation from a legal standpoint or a medical standpoint. To a large extent, I just have to analyze the points of view and rhetoric of those involved.

I also just feel like I'm missing a lot of stuff. Like an analysis of the bills in question. I don't think I even mentioned the worker shortages (which Sara Delyn, a dental hygienist, says is an issue being exaggerated by ISDS). But ... Here it is!

Illinois Dental Hygienists Association

IDHA Purpose:

The purpose of IDHA shall be to improve the oral health of the public; to maintain the highest standards of dental hygiene ethics, education, and practice; to represent and protect the interests of the dental hygiene profession; to ensure professional competence of the dental hygienist; to promote research in oral health; to provide professional communications, and to conduct other activities to advance the art and science of dental hygiene.

IDHA Mission:

Our mission is to improve the public’s total health, to advance the art and science of dental hygiene by ensuring access to quality oral health care, increases the awareness of the cost-effective benefits of prevention, promote the highest standards of dental hygiene education, licensure, practice, and research, and represent and promote the interests of dental hygienists.

IDHA has an unincorporated PAC (political action committee) which states they are:

a voluntary, non-profit, unincorporated committee of individual dental hygienists and others and is not affiliated with any political party

Their PAC events page states

We want to support legislators that support dental hygienists! Want us to donate to your legislator? Let us know at [email address]

Illinois State Dental Society

Their "About Us":

Founded by dentists in Chicago in 1865, the Illinois State Dental Society continues to write an interesting history each year through achievements that not only improve the oral health of the public, but also enhance the profession of dentistry. Past leaders in the state and local dental societies have paved the way for their successors to enjoy a bright future in organized dentistry.

Today's member may serve not only ISDS, but also the local or national organizations, in a variety of capacities. Those who choose to serve accept the momentous responsibility of decision making for the Society and their dental colleagues, and chart the course for generations of dentists to come. Organized dentistry has enjoyed an illustrious and accomplished history and holds a future full of promise due to the dedication and commitment of its members.

ISDS has an incorporated PAC (political action committee), which states:

With issues such as unsupervised practice by hygienists, patient protection, amalgam waste disposal, HIPAA regulations, and excessive state and federal regulations, we need lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly and U.S. Congress who understand dentistry and oral health care.

They provide four membership levels

DENT-IL-PAC ($125 level), Governor's Club ($250 level), President's Club ($500 level) and Ambassador's Club ($1,000)

These groups are not directly involved in this legislation, as far as I can tell. But they are involved in the history of this.

Illinois Association of Nurse Anesthetists (IANA)

IANA Supported IL SB2566. The Illinois State Medical Society and Illinois State Dental Society both opposed this legislation.
The IANA's position was:

An IANA initiative amending the NPA to treat all APRNs the same, and thus removing the onerous language requiring the personal presence of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or anesthesiologist. Though the bill did not pass, for the first time, the Senate Licensed Activities Committee got to hear testimony from CRNAs. It was compelling testimony, and during the question period, the anesthesiologists were asked if they were willing to negotiate and said, 'yes'. Meetings will take place over the summer/fall with both anesthesiologists and dentists, who oppose the language in this bill because of the belief that this APRN issue would somehow open the door to increasing the scope of practice of dental hygienists! (there was no bold text in the original.)

Read this, along with other position statements of the IANA here, or download my backup. And here is a facebook post on this topic

There were 853 PROPONENT witness slips, mostly submitted by CRNAs and concerned citizens and patients. There were 293 OPPOSITION witness slips, mostly from Doctors of Anestheisiology, ISDS (dentists), and some concerned citizens.

Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS)

The ISMS Opposed IL SB2566.
A brief of their position was:

This is woefully inadequate for the safe delivery of anesthesia care, something Illinois patients deserve and have appropriately relied upon for years. In a hospital setting, SB 2566 essentially removes the physician from the patient’s anesthesia care - allowing nurse anesthetists to function as anesthesiologists, despite having not having the same level of education, training, or background. Nurse anesthetists are not physicians and should not be treated as such when it comes to surgical anesthesia patients.

You can read ISMS's full position here or from my backup download

Analyzing this claim is outside the scope of this article. You can read the full text of SB2566 which also appears to reference other legislation.

Dave Marsh

Dave Marsh appears to be a member of the ISDS and a professional lobbyist. On every piece of legislation i looked at he provided witness slips, sometimes being one of very few people. He consistently opposes IANA and IDHA positions. A couple of articles also call him out for his lobbying efforts.

Honorable Mentions

• Parkland College Dental Hygiene Students and Alumni: There are a lot of posts here about this process, all in support of IDHA
• Dimensions of Dental Care: I believe they're in support of IDHA, but I didn't look into them much. See this article which states "While 13 states have passed legislation allowing licensure of dental therapists, red tape often impedes the ability of states to get these midlevel practitioners into the workforce."
• American Dental Hygienists Association: National org, which IDHA is part of.
• American Dental Association: National org, which ISDS is part of.

SB3122 Fact Sheet synopsis

The fact sheet was prepared by IDHA. I recommend reading it, as i will only capture a small portion here. Download from constant contact, wildapricot.org, or my backup

• SB3122 allows PHDHs to provide preventative oral care in nursing homes and long-term care communities.
• The "CDC is stressing the removal of workforce barriers to increase preventive oral care by PHDHs to populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic"
• "RDH programs typically require 81 college credits, compared to 68 for RNs, 37 for PNs, and zero (4-weeks online) for CNAs"
• "Every 3 years, PHDHs and dentists complete 48 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) while RDHs complete 36 CEUs"
• PHDHs cannot bill patients independently, have an agreemetn with a supervising dentist, have over 4000 hours clinical experience, are certifed to see patients before dental exams and are trained in a range of medical fields
• "One [Illinois] Oral Health Plan IV objective is to Increase the number of Public Health Dental Hygienists (PHDHs) practicing in dental health profession shortage areas to reduce oral health iniquities"
• "older adults have the highest risk for poor oral health of all age groups because many lack dental insurance, have underlying health conditions, lack access to care, and have limited financial resources.""
• "state practice acts often reduce access to care by limiting where oral health professionals can work."
• IDHA initiated the PHDH program/legislation (ISDS makes the same claim)
• IL Law requires a dentist to exam a patient before prventative care can be provided by RDHs. PHDHs have additional certification, allowing them to see patients before a dentist performs an exam.

This source provides additional links:

• Oral Health and COVID-19: Increasing the Need for Prevention and Access. Or download my backup
• Get CNA Certified in Illinois
• Dental Hygiene Degree | Harper College
• Nursing | Harper College
• Prescribed Duties of Dental Hygienists
• PHDH Information | IDHA, same page at idha.net
• Illinois Oral Health Plan IV: Eliminating Inequities in Oral Health (2021-2025), pdf download, my backup. Note: The fact sheet provided a link that was no longer valid, so i searched for it and provide the current link here.
• Oral Health In America: Advances and Challenges | NIH. Download the executive summary pdf, or my backup. The full report is 790 pages & 35.6 MB. The web page also has Fact Sheets that better summarize sections of the report

HB4501 Fact Sheet synopsis

The fact sheet was prepared by IDHA. Download from idha or my backup.

I recommend reading the full thing for yourself. This is a brief overview:

• "This Bill Would REMOVE Teledentistry from Dental Hygienists’ Current Scope of Practice"
• "An off-site dental hygienist would no longer be able to communicate with a [supervising] dentist on the other end"
• "Off-site locations include federal, state and local public health facilities, school based health and dental centers, hospitals, FQHCs, prisons, residents of special needs and long-term care communities, public health medical and dental centers, Head Start, and Women’s Infants and Children’s programs"
• "This Bill Would REMOVE Licensure Requirements for Providers Treating Children and Adults"
• "This bill would allow on-the-job-trained dental assistants to provide licensed dental provider-level care to children and adults without a high school or college education or a license to practice."
• "Supporters say allowing dental assistants to scale is needed because a 2021 ADA study found dentists have 3% more difficulty hiring dental hygienists than dental assistants."
• Approved training refers to a "two-day weekend course"
• "Dental assistants are not required to complete an intense CODA-accredited dental hygiene program, pass national or multiple state board examinations, take continuing education courses, nor to be monitored or regulated by the Board of Dentistry"
• "This bill is promoted as a Teledentistry Bill to increase access to care. However, it instead removes teledentistry from licensed dental hygienists’ current scope of practice."

There are no sources provided for these claims.

There is a chart showing the amount of education and training required for different roles. Here is a synopsis from that chart. Sources are provided for the chart at

• ISDS Proposal for Dental Assistants: Zero Credit Hours, weekend course, 2000 hours clinical experience prior to scaling class
• CODA Certified Dental Assistant: 41.5 Credit Hours, 3 program semesters, 336 clinical observation hours
• Bachelors Dental Hygiene Program: 120 Credit Hours, 8 school semesters, 1664 Clinical Contact Hours in a Higher Learning Facility
• Associates Dental Hygiene Program: 82 Credit Hours, 864 Clinical Contact Hours in a Higher Learning Facility

The Chart:

view chart

Sources for the chart:

• Dental Assisting | Elgin Community College
• Dental Hygiene Program | College of DuPage
• Dental Hygiene Requirements | SIU

IDHA Rebuttal to ISDS Letter

See the letter on constant contact or download my pdf copy

I highly recommend reading this letter in full, as well as the news article, and the ISDS Position letter. I'll attempt to highlight things here:

• "comments from ISDS were disparaging, insulting, and inaccurate. In a subsequent correspondence to their members, ISDS continued with their negative rhetoric and inaccurate information."
• "in addition to holding a state license to practice dental hygiene, nearly half of all PHDHs hold higher educational degrees including master’s and doctoral degrees"
  • ISDS stated a PHDH is a Hygienist who has a "clinical level of education and training received mostly at two-year community college programs in Illinois"
• "The intent is to increase access to care for the underserved citizens of Illinois."
  • ISDS stated the intent was to allow hygienists "the ability to provide standard and basic cleaning services" when the dentist is unavailable
• "The PHDH curriculum, including 42 continuing education credit hours, was stalled in legislative committees for this extended period of time. In 2019, HB 2676 finally passed with an outline for the PHDH structured courses. In 2020 the IDHA curriculum was implemented complying with the statute."
• "the PHDH statute mandates coursework in: emergency procedures for medically compromised patients, geriatric dentistry, pharmacology, pathology, pediatric dentistry, medical record keeping, teledentistry, nutritional needs of geriatric population, cultural competency, and professional ethics. The program also includes an 8-hour review and requires the successful completion of a written proficiency exam. Finally, in order to maintain this certification, the PHDH must complete 4 CEUs annually in addition to state CEU requirements."
  • ISDS stated "This was not a new degree or formal education, but only a limited expansion on clinical subject areas of knowledge needed so a hygienist might be aware of, and be able to recognize more complicated oral conditions, when treating a patient prior to a full examination"
• "All PHDHs must hold a collaborative agreement with a licensed Illinois dentist, who will conduct an exam shortly after the first PHDH preventive treatment appointment. Also, PHDHs are ineligible for direct reimbursement of services rendered."
  • ISDS stated "it appears the goal is to separate from a dentist's supervision and move toward an independent practice model."
  • A 2016 report from Oral Health Illinois states "In Arizona, the state allows dental hygienists to form “affiliated practices” with dentists to provide care without a dentist’s direct supervision, and funds a community college dental hygienist program."
• "General supervision requires an exam by the dentist prior to the RDH delivering preventive services." "Conversely, the PHDH model provides direct preventive care to the patient prior to a dental exam."
  • ISDS stated "Unfortunately, the article did not address the fact that dental hygienists can already, under the current law, cited above, provide the type of care depicted as being opposed by the ISDS."
  • ISDS stated that 225 ILCS Section 18(d) statisified what IDHA is seeking, then quotes the legislation and ISDS is clearly misrepresenting what IDHA is seeking. (read the ISDS letter)
• "The PHDH model mirrors the other 41 states that have been allowing this expansion of access to care for decades."
  • A 2003 report from the National Health Policy Forum discusses this model, stating: "While authorizing registered dental hygienists (RDHs) to practice independently of the dentist is still a challenging aspect of the provider issue, more and more attention is gradually being paid to the idea."
• "Since the program began in March 2020, over 100 dental hygienists have earned their PHDH certificates, which has improved access to care."
  • ISDS claimed that IDHA did not take seriously the development of a training program. (paraphrased)
• "Patient survey feedback indicated that most of these patients would have gone without care if the services of the PHDH were unavailable."
• "One example of a positive impact comes from an ongoing study tracking diabetic patients. This recent data collected indicates 45% decrease in gingival inflammation and 15% decrease in HbA1C level since April 2020"

I do not have the sources for the last two survey/data claims. Laura Scully with IDHA responded to my request for this data by CC'ing Karen Webster with Tri City health partnership, who has not yet replied to the email. (Email sent Feb 20, around noon. I'm writing this sentence on February 21 at 6am.)

"To conclude, our PHDH model is not an attempt to pursue an independent practice model, rather an effort to address the unmet needs of the underserved citizens of Illinois. We remain committed to provide preventive oral care and education by volunteering across the state to address patient disparities."

Links

• The isds letter: See my synopsis & also read it for yourself.
• Hygienists Brace for Pitched Battles with Dentists in Fights Over Practice Laws
  • This article has also been posted on chicago tribute and chicago suntimes with different titles & different images, and all three links are provided in this letter.
• HB 2676

ISDS Position Letter Synopsis

Download the letter, or use my backup. This letter is from October, 2021.

I recommend reading it in full. It opens by highlighting the "Hygienists Brace For ..." article (linked below). Then, it is important to read the idha rebuttal letter. See my synopsis for links.

The ISDS Position Letter Highlights:

• ISDS opposed 2021 legislation that would allow PHDHs to treat patients in prisons, nursing homes, and mobile dental vans without first having a dentist conduct a dental exam
• "The article did not depict an accurate picture of the situation as it exists."
• "ISDS has long contended that all patients deserve the same level of care. A doctor, who is trained to both diagnose and provide the safest and highest quality of care, should provide this care. Any care delegated to a hygienist or assistant should be limited and supervised by the dentist."
• "Five years ago, ISDS, working with members of the General Assembly, proposed this new designation (Public Health Dental Hygienist) in order to allow a dental hygienist with additional CE training and in a close relationship with a supervising dentist, to see Medicaid and low-income patients prior to a comprehensive exam by a dentist." (IDHA also claims to have proposed the PHDH legislation)
• "The intent of this new expansion was to allow a dental hygienist who was employed in a public health setting, such as a County Clinic or a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), the ability to provide standard and basic cleaning services in the event the dentist was unavailable on that particular day and a patient needed routine care. In addition, a Public Health Dental Hygienist was required to have a formal written agreement and have it reviewed annually."
• According to this letter, in 2015, there was a verbal agreement between ISDS and IDHA that no other expansions would be proposed until sufficient time had passed and data had been collected. "It took five years for the dental hygienists to develop and implement a very simple training program to be able to demonstrate their commitment to this effort to increase access to care". (IDHA has a rebuttal letter stating )
  • IDHA has a rebuttal letter which states: "The PHDH curriculum, including 42 continuing education credit hours, was stalled in legislative committees for this extended period of time. In 2019, HB 2676 finally passed with an outline for the PHDH structured courses. In 2020 the IDHA curriculum was implemented complying with the statute."
• "It is our conclusion that, due to the fact that there was no real interest in developing a training program until just prior to asking for an expansion of scope in 2021, it appears there was no real interest in truly providing access to care to needy patients. Rather, it appears the goal is to separate from a dentist's supervision and move toward an independent practice model."
  • They go on to cite legislation (225 ILCS Section 18(d)) that allows treatment in long term care facilities, only after a dentist does an exam. ISDS suggests this satisfies PHDHs desire to treat patients in long term care facilities. ISDS uses this to accuse IDHA of advocating for independent practices for PHDHs. However, IDHA is advocating to provide preventative care prior to dental examination by a dentist, whereas 225 ILCS 18(d) requires dentist examination before treatment.
• "This is an important safety provision because residents of LTC facilities and nursing home are the most vulnerable patients with the most compromised medical conditions. Many are taking multiple medications that place the patient in a very high-risk category."
  • IDHA argues that the legislation proposed by ISDS removes a hygienists ability to use telehealth to contact the dentist while seeing a patient, which would be a means of consulting with a dentist while providing preventative care
• "The ISDS Foundation provides $1 million in free dental care to 2,000 patients over a two day span every other year."
• "Just this year, [through lobbying efforts] ISDS secured a $10 million increase in Medicaid rates that will help dentists participate in the program [for patients with Medicaid]"
• "We will remain the recognized leader and advocate for the oral health of all Illinois citizens."

Links

• Hygienists Brace for Pitched Battles With Dentists in Fights Over Practice Laws
• Kaiser Family Foundation

Improving Oral Health: Promise and Prospects | National Health Policy Forum

Their website nhpf.org is no longer active, but it is archived

The NHPF and The George Washington University put out a report in 2003 titled "Improving Oral Health: Promise and Prospects". It can be downloaded from archive.org or from my backup.

It discusses this same issue, regarding underserved communities and whether Dental Hygienists should be allowed additional scope of care. Here is one quote:

• "The National Health Service Corps has more than 660 unfilled dental vacancy requests and 170 unfilled requests for hygienists."

A longer piece from that report, i want to share:

Expanding the Provider Base: Registered Dental Hygienists and Primary Care Providers Registered Dental Hygienists — While authorizing registered dental hygienists (RDHs) to practice independently of the dentist is still a challenging aspect of the provider issue, more and more attention is gradually being paid to the idea. Unlike the nursing profession, the field of dental hygiene has no “practitioner level” of training. Instead, dental hygienists are educated and clinically trained to provide only a subset of preventive dental services and cannot be certified to provide surgical or restorative care. There are two aspects of the discussion around the role of registered dental hygienists—scope and authorization.

• Scope—The scope of services that can be provided has been a major point of contention between dentists and dental hygienists. At this point, hygienists are trained to clean teeth and apply sealants and fluoride treatments but must refer patients to a dentist if anything further is needed. Most dentists oppose expansions in state practice acts for hygienists because they argue that RDHs are not trained to diagnose and treat oral diseases. However, an emerging concept is to expand the role of registered dental hygienists as disease managers— providers of medical (rather than surgical) management of dental caries and periodontal disease.
• Authorization—Some expansions in the level of authorization of RDHs have been implemented. According to surveys conducted by Crall and Edelstein, at least eight states report modifications to ease dentist supervision requirements from “direct supervision,” which requires care to be provided with a dentist present, to “general supervision,” which requires care to be delivered under the auspices of a dentist who may or may not be present. These modifications also allow for “independent practice” which enables hygienists to own and operate independent practices of dental hygiene using a dental referral network to ensure comprehensive care.50 However, the dental community expresses concern that allowing hygienists to practice independently will both erode dentists’ patient base and inadequately treat patients.51 The other side of the debate is that expanding hygien- ists’ role would enable them to provide high-quality preventive services to patients that may otherwise get no dental care at all.

Colorado has permitted hygienists to bill Medicaid directly for preventive services provided to children; and Maine has changed its state laws to allow hygienists to practice in school health centers, hospitals, and public clinics without a dentist on site.52 As a result, many hygienists are now able to go to schools, nursing homes, and other public health facilities to provide preventive services to patients who are generally underserved for lack of available and willing dentists. This also frees up time for dentists to focus on restorative and other acute care services when seeing low-income populations (and likely helps eradicate the problem of costly missed appointments if the services provided are more serious in nature).53 The expanded authorization issue—independent practice for hygienists— is gaining acceptance in some circles, especially as dentists continue to specialize their practices and payment rates continue to erode.

Oral Health Illinois | October 2016 Report

This report can be downloaded from oral health illinois or my backup. They also released a 2015 workforce report (backup download) which may be of interest. They also list other Reports on their website

Some quotes from the 2016 report:

• "illinois recently expanded the dental scope of practice law slightly through the passage of hb-5948 in 2016, which created a public health dental hygienist that would be able to perform preventive services without the patient first being seen by a dentist."
• "The State of Illinois estimates that 10,370 dentists and 8,425 dental hygienists have active licenses as of July 2016."
• "In response to Illinois’ provider shortage, the state recently expanded the dental scope of practice law slightly through the passage of HB-5948 in 2016, which created a public health dental hygienist that would be able to perform preventive services without the patient first being seen by a dentist under a collaborative arrangement. HB-5948 also expanded the functions of dental assistants to allow them to perform scaling to remove plaque from teeth."
• "In Arizona, the state allows dental hygienists to form “affiliated practices” with dentists to provide care without a dentist’s direct supervision, and funds a community college dental hygienist program."
• "In Illinois, and across the United States, professional dental shortages exist and are most acutely felt in rural areas. The access problem is aggravated by the fact that only 21% of Illinois dentists are registered as Medicaid providers. As a result, finding a dentist for those who rely on public insurance is an even greater challenge. Illinois policy makers can weigh a variety of options for expanding the oral health workforce including:"
  • Adjust Medicaid reimbursement for dental services.
  • Widen the scope of practice for dental hygienists and /or create a new mid-level dental provider.
  • Expand pediatrician’s role in oral health care to include patient referrals to local dentists, and oral health care education to patients and parents.
  • Train additional general dentists, as referrals and need for oral health services will continue to grow.
  • Consider alternative dental provider models, such as licensure of dental therapists.

• 2021 IDHA Annual Conference & General Assembly

• ISDS Conference Agenda | April 2021: A report from an ISDS conference detailing their position on several pieces of legislation.

• ISDS sb2561 Opposition Letter: An opposition Letter to SB2561 which would allow PHDHs to practice in long term care facilities and nursing homes.

• idha call to action: It's light on information

• dental hygienist duties

• dental assistants duties

• medicaid reimbursement, dental fee schedule

• dental lifeline program

• ada give kids a smile

• donated orthodontic services

• Mouth Healthy: an ADA Project

• dental health faq

• dental health faq

• find a health center

• what are health centers

• health center program, impact and growth

• health center program data

• heartland alliance oral health forum

• cdc oral health data

• ifloss: "Our mission is to improve the oral health of all Illinois residents through advocacy and education"

• Kaiser Family Foundation

• IDHA Facebook

• oral health illinois

• hb4501 (isds supports)
  • teledentistry, prison, dental assistants
  • 1/13 filed with clerk
  • Introduced 1/21/2022, by Rep. Katie Stuart and Margaret Croke
  • https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/102/HB/10200HB4501.htm
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/HB4501/2021
  • Section 5. The Illinois Dental Practice Act is amended by changing Sections 4, 17, and 17.1 as follows:
  • 2/17 Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
  • witness slips:
    • 115 YES - mostly dentists?
    • 934 NO - mostly idha, hygienists, concerned citizens, and SOME dentists
    • 6 ABSTAIN (no position)
• sb3168 (isds supports)
  • exact same as hb4501
  • Introduced 1/12/2022, by Sen. Rachelle Crowe
  • https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/102/SB/10200SB3168.htm
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB3168/2021
  • 1/12 filed with secretary
  • 2/10 Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments
  • 2/15 Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Jason A. Barickman
  • witness slips: none
• sb3122 (ihda supports)
  • Introduced 1/11/2022, by Sen. Melinda Bush
  • 2022-01-11 Senate Filed with Secretary by Sen. Melinda Bush
  • 2022-02-10 Senate Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading February 15, 2022
  • https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10200SB3122lv&SessionID=110&GA=102&DocTypeID=SB&DocNum=3122&SpecSess=&Session=&print=true
  • "public health setting" includes a nursing home or long-term care community.
  • Section 5. The Illinois Dental Practice Act is amended by changing Section 4 as follows
  • Witness Slips
    • 396 YES - mostly dental assistants and concerned citizens and idha members
    • 194 NO - mostly dentists and ISDS members
• sb0335 (isds supports)
  • PASSED
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB0335/2021
  • 2021-02-19 Senate Filed with Secretary by Sen. Rachelle Crowe
  • 7/9/2021 Governor approved, effective date jan 1 2022, Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0093
  • Witness Slips:
    • 5 YES (4 from ISDS), dave marsh ... john charles was
    • 2 NO
    • BOTH a proponent AND an opposition
    • there were two senate amendments, each with 2 proponents, dave marsh being one of them both times
• sb0346 (isds supports)
  • PASSED
  • MEDICAID DENTAL COVERAGE
  • 2021-02-19 Senate Filed with Secretary by Sen. Julie A. Morrison
  • 7/09/2021 Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0095
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB0346/2021
  • witness slips
    • 16 YES
    • 5 NO
    • it's actually 2 NO & like 10 YES bc of multiple hearings ... dave marsh, as always is YES
• sb0493 (isds supports)
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB0493/2021
  • https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/witnessslip.asp?DocNum=493&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=&GAID=16&SessionID=110&GA=102&SpecSess=
  • require dental plan providers and dental care providers (insurers and dentists offices) to use electronics for claims, payments, and getting benefits information
  • feb 23, 2021 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Dave Syverson
  • 2021-07-23 Senate Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0146
  • witness slips:
    • 6 YES (but actually five bc dave marsh twice), Kristen Bauer i've seen a couple times
    • zero NO
• HB690
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/HB0690/2021
  • allows temporary licenses for out of state dentists
  • isds opposes committee amendment number 1
  • 2021-02-05 House Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Lakesia Collins
  • 2021-04-14 House House Committee Amendment No. 1 Tabled Pursuant to Rule 40
  • 2021-08-26 House Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0582
  • witness slips
    • 7 YES (two hearings, 2 repeats)
    • 1 NO
    • 3 ABSTAIN/no-position (2 were Dave Marsh)
    • House Amendment 1: 5 YES, 3 NO (dave marsh said no, 2 aspen dental YES, 3 isds no)
    • house amendment 2: 3 yes, 2 no, 1 no position (aspen, gov dept, dave marsh)
    • house amendment 3: 2 yes, 0 no, 2 no position (2 aspen, 0, 1 dave marsh & the gov dept guy)
• sb2566 (isds OPPOSES) nurse practice act regarding anasteis ... the sleep stuff
  • FAILED
  • https://m.facebook.com/anaillinoisnurses/photos/a.478582372175711/4187128987987679/?type=3
  • https://www.il-nurses.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-LEGISLATIVE-SUMMARY-REPORT-Final.pdf
  • https://www.isms.org/ISMS.org/media/ISMSMediaLibrary/Custom%20content/leg%20priority%20boxes/SB2566PositionPaper.pdf
  • https://www.ilcrna.com/
  • illinois state medical society
  • allows Certified Register Nurse Anesthatists to give sedation without the dentist (or doctor) having anestheisia training
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB2566/2021
  • 2021-02-26 Senate Filed with Secretary by Sen. Melinda Bush
  • 2021-04-16 Senate Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments
  • witness slips:
    • 853 YES, mostly CRNAs and concerned citizens and patients
    • 293 NO, mostly ISDS, and doctors of anestheisiology and concerned citizens (dave marsh)
• hb3068 (isds OPPOSES) this appears to be the precursor to sb3122
  • Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Provides that the definition of "public health setting" includes a prison.
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/HB3068/2021
  • 2021-02-18 House Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Justin Slaughter
  • 2021-03-27 House Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
  • 2021-04-14 House Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Joyce Mason
  • witness slips:
    • 116 YES, mostly IDHA and concerned citizens
    • 5 NO, 4 ISDS including Dave Marsh and Kristen Bauer
• hb3087 (isds opposes) this also appears part of sb3122
  • Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Provides that the definition of "public health setting" includes a mobile dental van.
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/HB3087/2021
  • 2021-02-18 House Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Sonya M. Harper
  • 2021-03-27 House Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
  • 2021-04-14 House Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Joyce Mason
  • witness slips:
    • 110 YES, mostly IDHA
    • 3 NO, Dave Marsh, Jim Morphew, Susanne Hack (seen them all before), all ISDS
• sb2561 (isds opposes) also part of sb3122 ??
  • Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Provides that the definition of "public health setting" includes a nursing home or long-term care facility.
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB2561/2021
  • 2021-02-26 Senate Filed with Secretary by Sen. Melinda Bush
  • 2022-02-07 Senate Postponed - Licensed Activities
  • 2022-02-10 Senate Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments
  • witness slips: (TOTAL across 5 hearings)
    • 485 YES, mostly IDHA and concerned citizens
    • 347 NO, mostly ISDS (including Dave Marsh)
    • 3 ABSTAIN/no-position
• SB0750 2015-2016
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB0750/2015
  • something about health insurance coverage and dentists, supported by ISDS & opposed by health insurance companies
• hb0235
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/HB0235/2015
  • health insurance to cover anestheisia for patients with ASD under the age of 26 getting dental care
  • dave marsh was a YES in the witness slips
• hb2676
  • details educational requirements for PHDHs
  • https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/HB2676/2019
  • witness slips:
    • 16 proponents, all ISDS
    • 141 OPPONENTS, mostly IDHA
    • 68 NO POSITION, mostly IDHA
  • 2019-02-14 House Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Michael J. Zalewski
  • 2019-07-12 House Effective Date July 12, 2019
  • 2019-07-12 House Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0064
• IL SB036, supported by ISDS https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=346&GAID=16&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=110&GA=102
  • didn't get notes on this one

From idha facebook

Feb 11, 2022

" Great news! SB3122, OUR bill that will expand the settings where Public Health Dental Hygienists can practice in nursing homes and long term care communities, has passed out of committee! This means the Senate will be voting any day now on this bill. If it passes, it can move on to the House and will be one step closer to becoming part of the Dental Practice Act. Contact your state senators and let them know you want them to VOTE YES! #access2careIL #idha #rdh #ildentalhygienists #useyourvoice #advocacy https://www.votervoice.net/ADHA/Campaigns/91655/Respond "

Feb 9, 2022

" UPDATE: HB4501 now has been assigned to get a hearing on Wednesday. Please use the link in the post to message your legislators! False information is being sent to legislators and dental offices about two proposed bills (one in the House and one in the Senate). These bills are being disguised as teledentistry bills, but are a ruse because they also increase the patient age that dental assistants will be permitted to scale patients from age 12 to 19 years old and from only Medicaid recipients and whose household income is not greater than 200% of the federal poverty level to any patient in that age range in any office setting. The false information is claiming the change is necessary due to a shortage of hygienists, when in reality there is a shortage of ALL dental staff, including dental assistants AND dentists. Help IDHA stop these bills from passing! Take action and RESEND this updated message to address the false claims that were made. Contact your legislators NOW, and spread the word! https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/ADHA/Campaigns/91026/Respond #access2careIL #idha #rdh #ildentalhygienists #useyourvoice #advocacy "

Melinda Rebholz commented: " There wouldn't be a shortage of dental hygienists in ANY state if we were allowed to move from to state with our NATIONAL board scores & licenses!!!! Let's fix this problem people- anatomy & physiology, pharmacology, dentistry, radiology, medical emergencies, etc do NOT change from state to state so why should our licenses hold us back from practicing in other states? Let's make this happen!!! Where are our state representatives? " IDHA resopnds: " Melinda Rebholz ADHA has partnered with a coalition that is working on getting this passed in the future. 🤞. It's called the Coalition for Mondernizing Dental Licensure. "

Gina Foster comments: " There are 9,000 licensed dental hygienists in Illinois, and there are only 610 opposing witness slips currently public and professionals combined! C'mon RDHs!!!! Spread the word!! "

Feb 6, 2022

That link references the meeting host Lori McNamara mcnamaral41@cod.edu " Join us this Tuesday, February 8, at 7pm to learn more about legislation and earn a free CE credit! Thank you to everyone who helped support our bill, SB3122! But the work is not done, so join us and learn more. https://cod.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkceihrD0vGtZxElBQ44HBkvB1Xw6dNftH #idha #ildentalhygienists #rdhstrong #ilaccess2care #advocacyupdate #notjusttoothscrapers " Marion Criscuolo Manski replies: " We "out of state RDHs" want to help you!! Please let us know who we can send testimony to. I know we are not constituents but our voices matter as a whole. This legislation must be opposed. Thank you in advance! "

Jan 31, 2022

" Our Bill SB3122 will be heard THIS Wednesday. This bill will expand where public health dental hygienists can practice. It amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Provides that the definition of "public health setting" includes a nursing home or long-term care community. We need everyone's help to get this passed. The more witness slips are submitted as PROPONENT, the more likely it'll pass. Click on the link for more directions. And don't forget to register for our legislative information session next Tuesday (2/8). Learn more about our bills and the legislative process. #ildentalhygienists #rdhstrong #ilaccess2care #idha https://conta.cc/344djup "

Jan 25, 2022

" Legislation in the Illinois House and Senate have been proposed to alter Illinois’ Dental Practice Act to allow dental assistants to scale patients 19 years old and under in any office setting. Send a message to your legislators NOW by using the link below: https://www.votervoice.net/.../ADHA/Campaigns/91026/Respond "

A comment by Jackie Berry says: Read/Listen carefully to who the men being interviewed are representing. and links to https://news.wttw.com/2022/01/24/illinois-dentists-report-worker-shortages-due-covid-19-pandemic

Jan 16, 2022

" ATTENTION! Time sensitive, crucial and extremely important update was sent out to our email list. Please check your spam folders if you do not see it in your inbox. Share and spread the word! "

Yvette Leuer Hogan comments: " I personally appeal to all my Illinois RDH colleagues to immediately contact our state Senators and your district representatives to fight these bills!!! Do not put it off! Please read bills and act ASAP!!! Our hygiene leaders have provided the letter and a vehicle to make it easy for all of us to make our contacts. Please protect our patients by protecting our education and our licenses!! PLEASE!! " idha replies: " Yes! Thank you! It's more impactful for legislators to hear from their own constituents that voted for them. You voted them in to be your voice in Springfield, so educate them on why they should oppose these bills. "

Alicia Marie comments: " Send emails and messages to Senator Rachelle Crowe and Katie Stuart since they were the two who proposed those bills. They may not understand entirely what these changes mean for the patients! It's not an access to care fix, it's literally dangerous and below standard of care for someone with 16 hours of training to be able to successfully and safely removal calculus on patients. " Jackie Berry replies: " Dont forget about the bill in the Senate too! There's 5 or 6 supporting the bill through there as well. "

November 11, 2021

" A fantastic video supporting and acknowledging the work that dental hygienists do. Thank you for your message, Dr. Alessandro! Make sure to give him a big ole thumbs up on his video for his support! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO6I8C9T81o&feature=youtu.be "

November 2, 2021

Shared a post from American Dental Hygienists Association, which stated: " This week, Matt talks advocacy and how scope of practice varies from state to state with Sherri Foran, RDH, BSDH, MPA, PHDH. As the President of the Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association, Sherri supports the public health dental hygienist (PHDH) model in Illinois and is dedicated to passing new legislation to increase settings where PHDHs can practice. As always, advocacy is an essential part of expanding access to care and elevating the critical role dental hygienists play in prevention as oral health specialists. Listen here: " and linked to https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/adhapodcast

October 31, 2021

" Did you read the Chicago Tribune on Friday? IDHA President Sherri Foran released a public statement regarding comments made in a recent news article that incorrectly discussed dental hygienists.

#idha #rdh #ildentalhygienists #rdhstrong #notjusttoothscrapers

Read the article online here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/letters/ct-letters-vp-102921-20211028-26we36k6rbcl5obmxlmpzkvfyy-story.html " Pat Zimmerman Pine comments: " WOW, then why is the medical community asking all RDH's to give Vaccinations? Thanks so much for sharing this. I will share other RDH's need to know what is being stated. Nice work - the public needs to read what our education is and it's a career we love. We all need to share with friends and relatives, public. So many people think we are assistants, I do clarify that immediately. Thanks so much for being on top of this information. "

October 23, 2021

" The Illinois Dental Hygienists' Association represents over 9000 licensed dental hygienists in the state. Illinois lags behind 42 other states that allow public health dental hygienists the ability to provide care without setting restrictions. We challenge all dental hygienists to contact your legislators and let them know we need a change and more equity in oral care. "

October 21, 2021

" Join us at our annual conference to learn more about our legislative efforts!

https://www.cezoom.com/events/?conf=976

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/IDHA-s-REBUTTAL-to-ISDS-Letter-Quoting-PHDHs.html?soid=1135962702327&aid=cnEOb9Ozc68 "

Octboer 20, 2021

(links at top o fthis page) " Check out this article where two IDHA members, Karen Webster and Laura Scully, were interviewed! Don't like what you read in the article? Contact and educate your legislators! Members, look for an email from IDHA tomorrow with more information! https://khn.org/.../hygienists-brace-for-pitched-battles.../ It was also picked up by the Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/.../ct-illinois-dentists... and the Chicago Sun-Times https://chicago.suntimes.com/.../dental-hygienists... #IDHA #ildentalhygiensts #access2careIL " Jackie Berry comments: " Can't forget about the other things Dave Marsh has said about hygienists and even sent to all their members and our state lawmakers. https://www.isds.org/docs/librariesprovider3/default-document-library/2021-illinois-state-dental-society-capital-conference.pdf?sfvrsn=ea0e128a_0&fbclid=IwAR0xh1pq1LpwJ40RxKic1tS9fn_mXFoIn7lZTZ24VZUGbYZoosYuYsXg8Sw " and provides an additional link: https://idha.net/resources/Documents/ISDS%20Fact%20Sheet%20SB2561.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2z3sPVZ2l2DvX4Ft-YIo3ESK-hLqWnr384KMHvA0lpWGW1rdgZ6pCxVPA

These are various statements I found on Facebook that might be of interest. I have not had the opportunity to clean these up for better presentation.

Sarah Delynn, Feb 14:

" Do you want someone with only 16 hours of training preforming medical procedures on your children? Or do you want someone who spent 3 or 4 years training, is board certified, and fully licensed? "

comment on the same thread Question to sara "Any idea why they're trying to pass such a legislation?" They're claiming it's because there's a shortage of dental hygienists since the pandemic.

Followup question for sara "are theyy ... full of shit? If they're right, are there any counter-proposals to solve the problem?" comment on the same thread " there's a lot of factors but yeah they're really blowing it out of proportion. There's really high demand for dental care now after so many people put it off due to the pandemic, but there's definitely not a shortage of dental hygienists. We've been trying to get more authority to provide care in undeserved communities and in public health settings because there's just not enough dentists that want to do those jobs, but everytime we ask for something like that they fire back with something like this. "

Gina Foster, feb 13

https://conta.cc/3uZHhej?fbclid=IwAR3N5sys9UKE-8tOxkhopJNkoC7oO_DpWmm3eMhC8ARIY08aEfgvHa3SfQE " Public Health and Safety Announcement! *If you do not see the license sitting in the room when you are getting your teeth cleaned, ASK to see their license! There are many reports of unlicensed providers performing procedures on patients who are unaware it's against the law. Report any office that is not following the law, as this has been occurring very frequently in the past few years and is dangerous to the public. HB4501 is a bill in legislation right now that would allow unlicensed dental assistants with only 16 hours of training to clean anyone's teeth under 19 years of age. This is dangerous to the public because dental hygienists and dentists are licensed providers who passed board exams and have to remain in good standing with licensure (including taking continuing education courses), and dental assistants can be trained right off the street without regulations or licensure. This is not a jab at dental assistants; I was an assistant and cross trained before going through the dental hygiene program and becoming licensed and would often assist in practice as well. This is a public safety issue that can actually put dental assistants in a bad spot legally if a malpractice suit arose, as they would have no protections. Please help stop this from passing! View this email to submit witness slips OPPOSING this bill! Share with Illinois resident friends and family to do a witness slip as well. If you wish to file a written statement with your witness slip, comment below, and I can provide you with the easy steps. "

Gina Foster, oct 20

https://khn.org/news/article/hygienists-brace-for-pitched-battles-with-dentists-in-fights-over-practice-laws/ https://elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/DistrictLocator/AddressFinder.aspx https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-illinois-dentists-hygienists-turf-war-20211019-t6tul5rjvrazbmjfuzc62355de-story.html " Great post and linked article from 🦷IDHA Access to Care/Public Health Committee Chair Laura Scully. The article made the front page of the Chicago Tribune yesterday as well. https://www.chicagotribune.com/.../ct-illinois-dentists... Please tell your legislative representatives that you support dental hygienists in their efforts to include other settings for Public Health Dental Hygienists. Don't know your legislators - you can try this website: https://elections.il.gov/.../DistrictL.../AddressFinder.aspx https://khn.org/.../hygienists-brace-for-pitched-battles.../ "

Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, Dec 10, 2021

https://www.facebook.com/dimensionsofdentalhygiene/ " The ADHA is working hard to improve access to care for all Americans and create license portability for dental hygienists across the United States. https://dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/adha-continues-its-advocacy-efforts/ "

American Dental Hygienists' Association, feb 16, 2022

https://www.facebook.com/youradha " WEBINAR ALERT! Join ADHA and American Dental Association (ADA) researchers for a LIVE WEBINAR, Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. CST. This dynamic discussion will cover new research on the impact of COVID-19 on dental hygiene employment patterns, infection prevention and vaccine acceptance. Register and submit your questions at bit.ly/ADHACovidResearch "

These posts are from Parkland College Facebook Group

Gina Foster on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/user/31102003/

February 17, 2022:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ " Update on HB4501:Dental Assistant Scaling Expansion from yesterday. 😔Unfortunately, the Health Care Licenses Committee members voted HB4501 to go to a full House floor vote, pending amendments. If anyone watched the hearing yesterday, it seemed apparent their minds were already made up to pass it through. That is all the information I have at this time.
There are over 9000 RDHs in IL....there were 934 opponent witness slips, professional, and public slips combined.
The one thing I do know is that ALL REGISTED DENTAL HYGIENISTS NEED TO SPREAD THE WORD! Help us stop these bills from passing! PLEASE contact your legislators and tell them you do not agree with this, and they need to vote NO! "

Hygiensts FOR SB3122 Public Health Settings expansion. This bill is getting a 3rd reading today. So what does that mean? Contact your legislators!! (Read comments for more info)

https://my.ilga.gov/Hearing/HearingDetail/19099 (time to enter witness slips has expired)

February 15, 2022:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ " Hygiensts FOR SB3122 Public Health Settings expansion. This bill is getting a 3rd reading today. So what does that mean? Contact your legislators!! (Read comments for more info) " And in a comment states: " Bills in "third reading" are read for a third time and discussion and a vote on the bill, including all amendments, take place in the full chamber. A simple majority is required to pass the bill out of chamber. In the second chamber, the engrossed bill (all amendments are incorporated into the bill) goes through the same process again, including finding a sponsor in that chamber. If the second chamber passes the same version of the bill, the bill has passed the General Assembly and it is sent to the Governor for his signature to sign the bill into law. If the second chamber adds any amendments to the bill, the bill must return to the chamber of origin for a concurrence vote. Once the bill has passed the General Assembly, the legislature must send the bill to the Governor within 30 days. "

Feb 11, 2022:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ HB4501 has a hearing scheduled THIS Wednesday, February 16, at 10 AM with the Health Care Licenses Committee. (Again, this was the removal of teledentistry from the hygiene scope of practice and expansion of dental assistant scaling parameters

Feb 10, 2022:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ " HB4501, the ISDS bill, has been assigned to the Health Care Licenses Committee as of yesterday. (Funny because dental assistants don't even need a license🤔) The members of this committee need to be made aware of the opposition to the dental assistant scaling changes and Teledentistry changes that would result if this bill passed. Anna Moeller, who is a cosponsor for HB4501 bill, is on this committee as well. If she is your legislator, educate her especially!! Reach out to these legislators! Fact Sheet for SB3168/HB3168 to send these members are found here. https://idha.net/IDHA-Legislation "

February 4, 2022:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ " SB3168/HB4501 This is why membership to ADHA/IDHA matters. Getting angry is one thing but doing something about it is another. Your membership has tangible benefits, but most importantly, you are investing in your professional future. Join today to protect your license. Imagine where we would be if we all joined!. It’s less than a $1 a day to protect our scope and paycheck.
If you are already a member, make sure you have renewed!! mymembership.adha.org. #membershipmatters " In a comment on this post: " There are 9,000 licensed dental hygienists in Illinois, and there are only 497 opposing witness slips currently public and professionals combined! C'mon RDHs!!!! Spread the word!! "

February 3, 2022:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ " Happy to announce that the IDHA Access to care bill, SB3122, to allow PHDHs to serve nursing homes and long term care facility residents PASSED through committee!! Thank you to anyone who filled out the witness slips and submitted it/shared etc. The next step is for our Senators to vote for it on the Senate floor, then we wait for it to go to the House. So, contact your legislators to SUPPORT this one!!!
We will wait and see what happens next with the ISDS bill SB3168 (teledentistry aka dental assistant scaling bill), if/when it goes to hearing. THIS IS WHERE WE NEED THE MOST SUPPORT AND YOUR HELP! CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS AND TELL THEM NO TO SB3168 AND WHY! Keep a watch on the IDHA FB page for any news in the future! Edited to add: fact sheets about both SB3122 and Sb3168/HB4501 can be found here. Send these to your legislators! https://idha.net/IDHA-Legislation "

January 29

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ Gina makes a post encouraging to STOP SB 3168 and HB4501 In a comment on Feb 18, she says: " Update on HB4501:Dental Assistant Scaling Expansion from yesterday. 😔Unfortunately, the Health Care Licenses Committee members voted HB4501 to go to a full House floor vote, pending amendments. If anyone watched the hearing yesterday, it seemed apparent their minds were already made up to pass it through. That is all the information I have at this time. There are over 9000 RDHs in IL....there were 934 opponent witness slips, professional and public slips combined. The one thing I do know is that ALL REGISTED DENTAL HYGIENISTS NEED TO SPREAD THE WORD! Help us stop these bills from passing! PLEASE contact your legislators and tell them you do not agree with this and they need to vote NO! "

Illinois Dental Hygienists Association

" Great news! SB3122, OUR bill that will expand the settings where Public Health Dental Hygienists can practice in nursing homes and long term care communities, has passed out of committee! This means the Senate will be voting any day now on this bill. If it passes, it can move on to the House and will be one step closer to becoming part of the Dental Practice Act. Contact your state senators and let them know you want them to VOTE YES! #access2careIL #idha #rdh #ildentalhygienists #useyourvoice #advocacy https://www.votervoice.net/ADHA/Campaigns/91655/Respond "

Jen NaDean

Her Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/user/709555485/ in a comment on Feb 15: " Fellow RDHs, this bill will directly affect your pay! If assistants can scale 19 and under no matter what, we all become LESS VALUABLE. Submit those witness slips! "

Peg Bauer Boyce

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/user/1298345088/ In a comment around January 16th: " Thank you for sharing. Any dental hygiene educator can tell you it takes many more than 16 hours to teach scaling, and scaling supragingivally is not sufficient on most patients, even some children and especially teens. This needs to be opposed! "

January 25

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/user/1298345088/ This is the bill with additions and deletions. There are several issues as you read. Who is detecting and removing the subgingival calculus on the adolescent or 18 and 19 year old? Take a look at all the requirements of the 16 hours of training. This isn't just 16 hours of learning to use a scaler. As an educator, not sure how you'd fit that all in and determine competence. A CODA approved dental assisting program can teach the dental assistants to scale? Why the change from 12 year olds to 19 year olds, and why the change in poverty level? This was the bill that was agreed upon when they finally passed the Public Health Hygienist. 14 In addition to coronal polishing and pit and 15 fissure sealants as described in this item (7), a 16 dental assistant who has at least 2,000 hours of 17 direct clinical patient care experience and who has 18 successfully completed a structured training program 19 provided by (1) an educational institution including, 20 but not limited to, such as a dental school or dental 21 hygiene or dental assistant program, (2) a continuing 22 education provider approved by the Department, or (3) 23 or (2) by a statewide dental or dental hygienist 24 association, approved by the Department on or before 25 January 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 26 99-680), that has developed and conducted a training SB3168

• 20 - LRB102 22485 SPS 31625 b 1 program for expanded functions for dental assistants 2 or hygienists may perform: (A) coronal scaling above 3 the gum line, supragingivally, on the clinical crown 4 of the tooth only on patients 19 12 years of age or 5 younger who have an absence of periodontal disease and 6 who are not medically compromised or individuals with 7 special needs and (B) intracoronal temporization of a 8 tooth. The training program must: (I) include a 9 minimum of 16 hours of instruction in both didactic 10 and clinical manikin or human subject instruction; all 11 training programs shall include areas of study in 12 dental anatomy, public health dentistry, medical 13 history, dental emergencies, and managing the 14 pediatric patient; (II) include an outcome assessment 15 examination that demonstrates competency; (III) 16 require the supervising dentist to observe and approve 17 the completion of 6 full mouth supragingival scaling 18 procedures unless the training was received as part of 19 a Commission on Dental Accreditation approved dental 20 assistant program; and (IV) issue a certificate of 21 completion of the training program, which must be kept 22 on file at the dental office and be made available to 23 the Department upon request. A dental assistant must 24 have successfully completed an approved coronal 25 polishing course prior to taking the coronal scaling 26 course. A dental assistant performing these functions SB3168
• 21 - LRB102 22485 SPS 31625 b 1 shall be limited to the use of hand instruments only. 2 In addition, coronal scaling as described in this 3 paragraph shall only be utilized on patients who are 4 eligible for Medicaid or who are uninsured and whose 5 household income is not greater than 200% of the 6 federal poverty level. A dentist may not supervise 7 more than 2 dental assistants at any one time for the 8 task of coronal scaling. This paragraph is inoperative 9 on and after January 1, 2026.

Laura Zak Baus

January 31, 2022 on https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ Links: https://ilga.gov/legislation/Witnessslip.asp?LegDocId=173194&DocNum=3122&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=137817&GAID=16&SessionID=110&GA=102&SpecSess=&Session=&WSType=OPP

https://ilga.gov/legislation/Witnessslip.asp?LegDocId=173194&DocNum=3122&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=137817&GAID=16&SessionID=110&GA=102&SpecSess=&Session=&WSType=PROP

https://idha.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/SB3122%20-%20Fact%20Sheet%20.pdf " RDHs: Does Your Dentist Oppose RDHs Working in Nursing Homes? Do you really want to work for such an employer? Check Who OPPOSES RDHs Working in Nursing Homes: https://ilga.gov/legislation/Witnessslip.asp?LegDocId=173194&DocNum=3122&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=137817&GAID=16&SessionID=110&GA=102&SpecSess=&Session=&WSType=OPP Check Who SUPPORTS RDHs Working in Nursing Homes: https://ilga.gov/legislation/Witnessslip.asp?LegDocId=173194&DocNum=3122&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=137817&GAID=16&SessionID=110&GA=102&SpecSess=&Session=&WSType=PROP IDHA's Nursing Home Bill (SB3122) would allow public health dental hygienists to work in nursing homes and long-term care communities. Nursing home residents could receive preventive oral care in their own community! Think how hard it is for them to travel to a dental office! SB3122 FACT SHEET: https://idha.wildapricot.org/.../SB3122%20-%20Fact... Create a Witness Slip Telling legislators to Support IDHA's Nursing Home Bill BEFORE the Feb. 2, 2022 Hearing! https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/137817. "

Laura Hettinger

https://www.facebook.com/groups/36586612345/ January 25: " URGENT KILL THESE BILLS!! SB3168 and HB4501 There has been a shortage of dental healthcare for 40% of Americans for a very long time. People are uninsured and underinsured and never see the dentist. The shortage we are seeing in Illinois is not new. What might be new is that there is a shortage of workers in dental offices.
Dental hygienists spent hours and hours of time to try to pass the Illinois Public Health Dental Hygienist, which was opposed by the Illinois State Dental Society because we needed more education! It finally passed in legislation with a requirement of 45 additional hours over our licensure; 29 hours more didactic study, 5 hours of didactic courses in courses and 8 hours live classroom review. (see picture below) The services provided are not any different that what we are licensed for. And this is just to be able to see a patient before a dentist does. Dental Hygienists are not learning anything new, no new techniques or skills, we learn this all in school and passed a written and clinical board. BUT there is no requirement in Illinois for dental assistant (DA) certification and there are bills that are asking to allow a dental assistant (doesn't have to be certified can learn on job with 2000 hours of experience) to train for 16 hours (2 -8 hours days) learn how to use dental scalers which would be a new skill and apply it in a dental office for 19 years and under patients.
When the Public health hygienist bill was passed the Illinois State Dental Society asked for the scaling dental assistant to be able to scale on 12 years or younger children who fell under poverty guideless, now they are asking for 19 years and no poverty guidelines. We need DA's and they are a big part of the dental team, they need to have the education they need to provide treatment of a patient. Not just a weekend course.
Why would this be ok? Does this seem equitable? Contact your legislators!! https://www.elections.il.gov/.../Distr.../AddressFinder.aspx "