Dental Hygienist Continuing Education

Dental Hygienist Continuing Education

 

Each licensed dental hygienist applying for license renewal
shall earn a minimum of sixteen hours of continuing education within the
preceding twenty-four-month period.

 

Dental hygienists must complete at least one hour of training or education in infection control in a dental setting and for registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2017, one contact hour in cultural competency.

 

The subject matter for continuing education
shall reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health
care needs of the public.  Continuing education activities shall provide
significant theoretical or practical content directly related to clinical or
scientific aspects of dental hygiene.

 

Qualifying Continuing Education

 

Qualifying continuing education activities
include, but are not limited to, courses, including on-line courses, that are
offered or approved by dental schools and other institutions of higher education
that are accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental Accreditation, a
regional accrediting organization, the American Dental Association, a state,
district or local dental association or society affiliated with the American
Dental Association, the National Dental Association, the American Dental
Hygienists Association or a state, district or local dental hygiene association
or society affiliated with the American Dental Hygienists Association, the
Academy of General Dentistry, the Academy of Dental Hygiene, the American Red
Cross or the American Heart Association when sponsoring programs in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation or cardiac life support, the United States
Department of Veterans Affairs and armed forces of the United States when
conducting programs at United States governmental facilities, a hospital or
other health care institution, agencies or businesses whose programs are
accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental Accreditation, local, state or
national medical associations, or a state or local health department. Eight
hours of volunteer dental practice at a public health facility may be substituted for one hour of continuing
education, up to a maximum of five hours in one two-year period. 

 

Activities that
do not qualify toward meeting these requirements include professional
organizational business meetings, speeches delivered at luncheons or banquets,
and the reading of books, articles, or professional journals.   

Documentation Requirements/Record Retention

 

Each licensee applying for license renewal pursuant to section 19a-88, except a
licensee applying for a license renewal for the first time, shall sign a
statement attesting that he or she has satisfied the continuing education
requirements described in subsection (g) of this section on a form prescribed
by the department. Each licensee shall retain records of attendance or
certificates of completion that demonstrate compliance with the continuing
education requirements described in subsection (g) of this section for not less
than three years following the date on which the continuing education was
completed or the license was renewed. Each licensee shall submit such records
to the department for inspection not later than forty-five days after a request
by the department for such records. A licensee who fails to comply with the
provisions of this section may be subject to disciplinary action pursuant to
section 20-126o, as amended by this act.

Exemptions/Waivers

 

In individual cases involving medical disability or illness, the Commissioner
of Public Health may grant a waiver of the continuing education requirements or
an extension of time within which to fulfill the requirements of this
subsection to any licensee, provided the licensee submits to the Department of
Public Health an application for waiver or extension of time on a form
prescribed by the commissioner, along with a certification by a licensed
physician of the disability or illness and such other documentation as may be
required by the commissioner. The commissioner may grant a waiver or extension
for a period not to exceed one registration period, except the commissioner may
grant additional waivers or extensions if the medical disability or illness
upon which a waiver or extension is granted continues beyond the period of the
waiver or extension and the licensee applies for an additional waiver or
extension.

 

A licensee who is not engaged in active professional practice, in any form,
during a registration period shall be exempt from the continuing education
requirements, provided the licensee submits a notarized application for
exemption on a form prescribed by the commissioner prior to the end of the
registration period. A licensee who is exempt under the provisions of this
subsection may not engage in professional practice until the licensee has met the
continuing education requirements of this section.

 

Reinstatement of a Lapsed License

 

A licensee whose license has become void and who
applies to the department for reinstatement of such license, shall: (1) For a
license that has been void for two years or less, submit evidence of completion
of a minimum of twenty-four contact hours of qualifying continued education
during the two-year period immediately preceding the application for
reinstatement; or (2) for a license that has been void for more than two years,
submit evidence of successful completion of the National Board Dental Hygiene
Examination or the North East Regional Board of Dental Examiners Examination in
Dental Hygiene or a refresher course approved by the department during the year immediately preceding the application.