{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-328.34","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-328.34","heading":"Practice of dental hygiene under supervision of dentist","body":"– Delegation of duties to dental hygienist – Authorization of\n\nadvanced procedures.\n\nA. A dental hygienist may practice dental hygiene under the\n\nsupervision of a dentist in a dental office or treatment facility.\n\nA dentist may employ not more than the equivalent of three full-time\n\ndental hygienists for each dentist actively practicing in the same\n\ndental office. Employing the equivalent of three dental hygienists\n\nshall mean the employment or any combination of full- or part-time\n\ndental hygienists not to exceed one hundred twenty (120) hours per\n\nweek per dentist.\n\nB. 1. A dentist may delegate to a dental hygienist the\n\nfollowing procedures:\n\na. the duties and expanded duties authorized for dental\n\nassistants by the State Dental Act or the rules of the\n\nBoard of Dentistry,\n\nb. health history assessment pertaining to dental\n\nhygiene,\n\nc. dental hygiene examination and the charting of intra-\n\noral and extra-oral conditions, which include\n\nperiodontal charting, dental charting and classifying\n\nocclusion,\n\nd. dental hygiene assessment and treatment planning for\n\nprocedures authorized by the supervisory dentist,\n\ne. prophylaxis, which means the removal of any and all\n\ncalcareous deposits, stains, accretions, or\n\nconcretions from the supragingival and subgingival\n\nsurfaces of human teeth, utilizing instrumentation by\n\nscaler or periodontal curette on the crown and root\n\nsurfaces of human teeth, including rotary or power-\n\ndriven instruments. This paragraph shall not be\n\nconstrued to prohibit the use of a prophy/polishing\n\ncup or brush on the crowns of human teeth by a dental\n\nassistant who holds a current expanded duty permit for\n\ncoronal polishing and topical fluoride issued by the\n\nBoard,\n\nf. periodontal scaling and root planing,\n\ng. dental hygiene nutritional and dietary evaluation,\n\nh. placement of subgingival prescription drugs for\n\nprevention and treatment of periodontal disease,\n\ni. soft tissue curettage,\n\nj. placement of temporary fillings,\n\nk. removal of overhanging margins,\n\nl. dental implant maintenance,\n\nm. removal of periodontal packs,\n\nn. polishing of amalgam restorations, and\n\no. other procedures authorized by the Board.\n\n2. The procedures specified in subparagraphs b through o of\n\nparagraph 1 of this subsection may be performed only by a dentist or\n\na dental hygienist.\n\n3. Except as provided in subsections C and D of this section,\n\nthe procedures specified in paragraph 1 of this subsection may be\n\nperformed by a dental hygienist only on a patient of record and only\n\nunder the supervision of a dentist. The advanced procedures of\n\nadministration of nitrous oxide, administration of local anesthesia,\n\nneuromodulator administration, therapeutic use of lasers, and\n\nphlebotomy and venipuncture shall be performed only under the direct\n\nor indirect supervision of a dentist. The level of supervision,\n\nwhether direct, indirect, or general, for the advanced procedure of\n\nelder care and public health pursuant to Section 7 of this act shall\n\nbe at the discretion of the supervisory dentist. Authorization for\n\ngeneral supervision shall be limited to a maximum of thirteen (13)\n\nmonths following an examination by the supervisory dentist of a\n\npatient of record.\n\nC. 1. A dentist may authorize procedures to be performed by a\n\ndental hygienist, without complying with the provisions of paragraph\n\n3 of subsection B of this section, if:\n\na. the dental hygienist has at least two (2) years’\n\nexperience in the practice of dental hygiene,\n\nb. the authorization to perform the procedures is in\n\nwriting and signed by the dentist, and\n\nc. the procedures are performed during an initial visit\n\nto a person in a treatment facility, or pursuant to\n\nSection 7 of this act.\n\n2. The person upon whom the procedures are performed must be\n\nreferred to a dentist after completion of the procedures performed\n\npursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection.\n. the authorization to perform the procedures is in\n\nwriting and signed by the dentist, and\n\nc. the procedures are performed during an initial visit\n\nto a person in a treatment facility, or pursuant to\n\nSection 7 of this act.\n\n2. The person upon whom the procedures are performed must be\n\nreferred to a dentist after completion of the procedures performed\n\npursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection.\n\n3. A dental hygienist shall not perform a second set of\n\nprocedures on a person pursuant to this subsection until the person\n\nhas been examined and accepted for dental care by a dentist.\n\n4. The treatment facility in which any procedure is performed\n\nby a dental hygienist pursuant to this subsection shall note each\n\nsuch procedure in the medical records of the person upon whom the\n\nprocedure was performed and list the dentist that authorized the\n\nhygienist to perform the procedures signed by the hygienist.\n\nD. A treatment facility may employ dental hygienists whose\n\nservices shall be limited to the examination of teeth and the\n\nteaching of dental hygiene or as otherwise authorized by the Board.\n\nE. The Board is authorized to prescribe, by rule, the\n\neducational requirements for advanced procedures that may be\n\nperformed by a dental hygienist upon receipt of the advanced\n\nprocedures designated on his or her license. The advanced\n\nprocedures shall include the administration of local anesthesia, the\n\nadministration of nitrous oxide analgesia, neuromodulator\n\nadministration, therapeutic use of lasers, phlebotomy and\n\nvenipuncture, and elder care and public health pursuant to Section 7\n\nof this act.\n\nF. A dental hygienist shall not own or operate an independent\n\npractice of dental hygiene.\n\nG. Nothing in the State Dental Act shall be construed to\n\nprohibit a dentist from performing any of the procedures that may be\n\nperformed by a dental hygienist.\n\nH. Nothing in the State Dental Act shall be construed to allow\n\na dental assistant to work under the supervision of a dental\n\nhygienist while acting under direct, indirect or general\n\nsupervision, except as provided by Section 7 of this act.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"f4fe8c150ac712c5d5ac74294fa6ef380c532689002894b5e5f25d7c66385be0","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-328.33","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-328.36"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}