New Hampshire hygienists

The New Hampshire Dental Hygienists’ Association has announced that HB 565, establishing a dental hygienists committee within the board of dental examiners, has been signed into law by Governor John Lynch.

The bill will be known as Chapter 172, Laws of 2011. The act will take effect on Aug. 13, 2011.

“Better aligning professional regulation will improve dental access in New Hampshire,” NHDHA President Susanne Kuehl said. “NHDHA members were instrumental in helping to pass this new law, which will give hygienists a greater voice in the development and adoption of the rules that govern their profession and practice. We very much look forward to participating on the committee and collaborating with our dental partners to advance oral healthcare in the state.”

While there are more dental hygienists licensed to practice in New Hampshire than there are dentists, hygienists have historically been regulated by the Board of Dental Examiners. The board has three times as many dentists as hygienist members. The new dental hygiene committee, with a makeup of four hygienists and one dentist, will have the authority to develop and recommend rules to the full board.

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Kuehl said that NHDHA applauds the legislature and Governor Lynch for passing and signing HB 565, and wishes to express special thanks to Representatives John Cebrowski (R-Bedford) and Rich DiPentima (D-Portsmouth) for their work on the issue.

NHDHA plans to work with Cebrowski and DiPentima, as well as other House and Senate members on any fine-tuning of Chapter 172 in the next legislative session.

For more information, call (207) 752-2968 or go to www.ndha.org.

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