6606 - Definition of practice of dental hygiene. - New York Statutes

§ 6606. Definition of practice of dental hygiene. 1. The practice of the profession of dental hygiene is defined as the performance of dental services which shall include removing calcareous deposits, accretions and stains from the exposed surfaces of the teeth which begin at the epithelial attachment and applying topical agents indicated for a complete dental prophylaxis, removing cement, placing or removing rubber dam, removing sutures, placing matrix band, providing patient education, applying topical medication, placing and exposing X-ray films, performing topical fluoride applications and topical anesthetic applications, polishing teeth, taking medical history, charting caries, taking impressions for study casts, placing and removing temporary restorations, administering and monitoring nitrous oxide analgesia and administering and monitoring local infiltration anesthesia, subject to certification in accordance with section sixty-six hundred five-b of this article, and any other function in the definition of the practice of dentistry as may be delegated by a licensed dentist in accordance with regulations promulgated by the commissioner. The practice of dental hygiene may be conducted in the office of any licensed dentist or in any appropriately equipped school or public institution but must be done under the supervision of a licensed dentist. 2. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations defining the functions a dental hygienist may perform that are consistent with the training and qualifications for a license as a dental hygienist.