STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2584

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2926

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2926 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DENTISTRY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require all dental assistants to obtain certification from the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc., as certified dental assistants no later than July 1, 2019, or no later than one hundred twenty days after the date of employment.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Dental Hygienists' Association, two individuals, and a petition with ninety-seven names.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Board of Dental Examiners and Hawaii Dental Association.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc., and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that dental assistants are auxiliary personnel who perform supportive dental procedures under the direct supervision, direction, evaluation, and responsibility of a licensed dentist.  Your Committee further finds that Hawaii is one of only a handful of states that does not require certification of dental assistants.  According to testimony received by your Committee, training for dental assistant duties is generally done on the job by the supervising dentist or another assistant, and may vary from office to office or dentist to dentist.

 

     Your Committee additionally finds that the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (Dental Assisting National Board), is a national certification board for dental assistants that currently certifies more than thirty-seven thousand dental assistants nationwide, with a certification program that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.  This measure therefore requires all dental assistants in Hawaii to obtain and maintain certification from the Dental Assisting National Board as a Certified Dental Assistant.

 

     Your Committee has heard the concerns that an unknown percentage of dental assistants in Hawaii may be unable to meet the eligibility requirements associated with the Certified Dental Assistant certification program within the timeframe specified in this measure.  Your Committee understands these concerns and concludes that amendments to this measure are necessary to adjust the time frame for required certification as a dental assistant, incorporate additional minimum requirements for those dental assistants who are not yet eligible for the Dental Assisting National Board's Certified Dental Assistant program, and ensure that dental assistants with significant experience are not unduly burdened by the new certification requirements.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting language that would have required all dental assistants to obtain certification from the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc., as certified dental assistants no later than July 1, 2019, or no later than one hundred twenty days after the date of employment;

 

     (2)  Establishing minimum requirements for all individuals hired as dental assistants in Hawaii on or after July 1, 2018;

 

     (3)  Requiring dental assistants employed on or after July 1, 2018, to successfully complete the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.'s National Entry Level Dental Assistant certification within three years of first being hired as a dental assistant;

 

     (4)  Requiring dental assistants with four or more years' experience to apply or register for the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.'s Certified Dental Assistant certification;

 

     (5)  Exempting dental assistants with more than ten years' experience from having to obtain a Certified Dental Assistant certification, but requiring these dental assistants to hold a cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification and pass the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.'s Infection Control examination within two years of the approval date of this measure;

 

     (6)  Requiring the Board of Dental Examiners to be responsible for ensuring compliance and assist licensed dentists and their employees with the requirements for dental assistants;

 

     (7)  Requiring dentists who employ dental assistants to report the names and certifications of their dental assistant employees to the Board of Dental Examiners;

 

     (8)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (9)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2926, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2926, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

 

 

 

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair