§ 153.15 — Dental hygienists — scope of term

Iowa § 153.15

• Jurisdiction: Iowa
• Title IV: PUBLIC HEALTH
• Ch. 153: DENTISTRY

Text

1. A licensed dental hygienist may perform those services which are educational,
therapeutic, and preventive in nature which attain or maintain optimal oral health as
determined by the board. Services may include but are not necessarily limited to the
following:
a. Complete oral prophylaxis.
b. Application of preventive agents to oral structures.
c. Exposure and processing of radiographs.
d. Administration of medicaments prescribed by a licensed dentist.
e. Obtaining and preparing nonsurgical, clinical and oral diagnostic tests for
interpretation by the dentist.
f. Preparation of preliminary written records of oral conditions for interpretation by the
dentist.
2. Such services, except educational services, shall be performed under supervision of a
licensed dentist but nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a dental hygienist
to practice dentistry.
3. Educational services shall be limited to the following:
a. Assessing the need for, planning, implementing, and evaluating oral health education
programs for individual patients and community groups.
b. Conducting workshops and in-service training sessions on dental health for nurses,
school personnel, institutional staff, community groups, and other agencies providing
consultation and technical assistance for promotional, preventive, and educational services.

Legislative History

[C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §2571; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, §153.7; C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §153.15]