ME Dental Hygiene Jurisprudence flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Maine Board of Dental Practice

State agency created under 32 M.R.S. chapter 143 that licenses dentists and dental hygienists, adopts rules, investigates complaints, and imposes discipline for violations of the Dental Practice Act.

Practice without a license

Performing dental hygiene services when a license is expired, suspended, revoked, or never issued. It is a violation subject to Board discipline and civil penalties under Maine law.

Grounds for discipline

Bases on which the Board may sanction a licensee include unprofessional conduct, incompetence, impairment, fraud in obtaining a license, and practicing outside the authorized scope of practice.

Board complaint process

A complaint is filed, reviewed or investigated by the Board, followed by an opportunity for hearing, findings of fact, and sanctions such as reprimand, probation, suspension, or revocation.

Mandatory reporting duty

Licensees must report to the Board known violations of the Dental Practice Act by other licensees, including impairment or conduct that endangers patients, within the time required by Board rule.

Patient record retention

Maine rules require legible, dated patient records retained at least seven years after the last contact, and longer for minors until the age of majority plus the retention period.

Misleading advertising prohibition

Licensees may not make false or misleading statements about credentials, specialties, or services; hygienists may not use titles or imply specialization not authorized by their license.

License verification

The Board maintains a public licensee lookup showing license status, number, and discipline history; patients and employers can confirm whether a hygienist holds a current active license.

Dental hygiene scope

Services include assessment, prophylaxis, scaling and root planing, polishing, fluoride, sealants, radiographs, and oral health education, plus anesthesia and nitrous oxide with extra certification.

Local anesthesia certification

Hygienists must complete Board-approved additional education and hold current certification before administering local anesthesia, and must follow monitoring and documentation requirements in rule.

General supervision

A supervision level in which procedures are performed under a dentist's authorization without the dentist physically present, subject to conditions set in Maine statute and Board rules.

Public health supervision

Allows qualifying hygienists to deliver services in settings such as schools and community clinics under a written agreement with a supervising dentist, without the dentist on site.

Independent practice hygienist

A separate Maine license requiring defined clinical experience and additional education, permitting the hygienist to practice and perform specified functions within Board-set limits.

Scope limits

Hygienists may not diagnose, prescribe, perform irreversible surgical procedures, or place permanent restorations unless a specific statute or Board rule authorizes that credential level to do so.

Referral obligation

When assessment finds conditions beyond hygiene scope or needing dentist care, the hygienist must refer the patient and document the referral in the patient record.

Radiograph certification

Exposing dental radiographs requires valid certification, proper equipment, and compliance with Board radiation safety rules; images are retained as part of the patient record.

Nitrous oxide administration

Hygienists may administer nitrous oxide-oxygen only with Board-approved education and current certification, following monitoring, documentation, and dentist-authorization requirements in rule.

Licensure requirements

Graduation from a CODA-accredited dental hygiene program, passing an accepted clinical examination, and passing the Maine jurisprudence examination, plus application, fees, and required background check.

Renewal cycle

Maine licenses renew on a fixed cycle set by the Board; late renewal after expiration may require a late fee and, if lapsed beyond the grace period, additional CE or reexamination.

Continuing education documentation

CE certificates must show provider, date, course title, and hours, cover Board-mandated topics, be earned in the renewal period, and be retained for audit by the Board.

CE provider approval

Only continuing education from providers or sponsors recognized by the Board is generally accepted; self-study and in-service hours are limited, and carryover of unused hours is capped.

Inactive license status

A non-practicing status requested instead of renewal; the licensee may not practice until reinstated and must satisfy any reactivation continuing education and fee requirements.

Address change notification

Licensees must notify the Board of a change of name or address within the period set by rule, and must report criminal convictions or discipline imposed by another jurisdiction.

Jurisprudence examination

A Maine-specific examination on the Dental Practice Act and Board rules that applicants must pass as part of licensure, separate from the clinical and national board examinations.

CE audit

The Board may require a licensee to produce proof of continuing education hours; failure to document required CE can result in renewal denial or disciplinary action.

Standard precautions

Infection control applied to every patient regardless of known infectious status: hand hygiene, gloves, masks, eye protection, and gowns when splash or spatter is anticipated.

Sharps handling

Needles are not recapped by hand unless a device is used; sharps are placed immediately into closable, puncture-resistant, labeled containers located near the point of use.

Sterilization monitoring

Critical and semicritical instruments are cleaned, packaged, and steam sterilized, with biological spore testing performed at the interval required by rule and results documented in a log.

Surface disinfection

Barriers are changed between patients and high-touch surfaces are disinfected with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant carrying the appropriate claim for the level of contamination.

Dental unit waterlines

Waterlines are flushed and treated with approved products so microbial counts stay within accepted limits, protecting patients and staff from waterborne contamination during procedures.

Informed consent

Ethical and legal duty to explain diagnosis, proposed treatment, alternatives, and risks so the patient can voluntarily decide; consent is documented before care is provided.

Unprofessional conduct

Includes falsifying records, practicing while impaired, abandoning patients without notice, and disclosing patient information without authorization or a legal requirement to do so.