MO Dental Hygiene Jurisprudence flashcards

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

Dental Practice Act citation

Missouri's dental statute is Chapter 332 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. It creates the Missouri Dental Board, defines dental hygiene, and sets supervision and discipline authority.

Board rules citation

Missouri Dental Board regulations are codified in Title 20, Division 2200 of the Code of State Regulations. Rules implement the statute and carry the force of law.

Scope of dental hygiene

Preventive and therapeutic services such as prophylaxis, scaling, polishing, fluoride, sealants, radiographs, and education, performed under the supervision level the Act and rules require.

Services reserved to dentists

Diagnosis, treatment planning, prescription, and irreversible or surgical procedures. A hygienist may not perform these even with a dentist's request.

Unlicensed practice

Performing dental hygiene services or using the RDH title without a current Missouri license. It is a statutory violation subject to injunction, discipline, and criminal penalty.

Local anesthesia by hygienists

Permitted only after Board-approved additional training and certification, and only under the supervision level the Act and Board rules specify for that service.

Licensure examination requirement

Applicants must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program and pass the Board-approved clinical and written examinations before a Missouri license is issued.

Renewal requirements

Timely renewal requires the Board-set fee, required continuing education hours, jurisprudence attestation, and truthful reporting of practice and disciplinary status.

Continuing education documentation

Licensees must retain certificates supporting reported CE hours. The Board audits compliance, and falsified or undocumented hours are a disciplinary ground.

Lapsed license reinstatement

A license not renewed becomes delinquent or inactive. Reinstatement requires the Board's process, which may include additional CE, fees, or reexamination.

Licensure by credentials

Reciprocity route for hygienists holding a current license elsewhere with substantially equivalent requirements; the Board verifies the out-of-state license before issuing.

Address change notification

Licensees must notify the Board of name or address changes within the period the rules set, so renewal and disciplinary notices reach the licensee.

Direct supervision defined

The dentist is physically present in the office, has examined the patient, and is available during the procedure performed by the hygienist.

Indirect supervision defined

The dentist has authorized the procedure and examined the patient, but need not be in the treatment room; availability by phone or in person is required.

General supervision defined

The dentist has authorized the services for a patient of record but need not be on the premises when the hygienist provides treatment.

Collaborative practice arrangement

A Board-authorized agreement allowing a hygienist to treat patients without the dentist on site, subject to the protocol and patient-of-record conditions in the rules.

Nondelegable duties

Tasks the dentist cannot assign to a hygienist, including diagnosis, treatment planning, and prescribing. Delegation outside scope is a violation for both parties.

Documenting supervision level

The patient record must show which dentist authorized services and under what supervision level each service was provided.

Board investigative authority

The Board may investigate complaints and inspect practices, and licensees must cooperate and produce records on lawful request.

Rule violation as discipline

Breaching a Board rule, such as infection-control or recordkeeping standards, can be charged as a violation even without proof of patient injury.

Advertising and credential rules

Board rules prohibit misrepresenting licensure or qualifications. A hygienist may not imply specialty status or unlicensed credentials in advertising.

Duty to know current rules

Rule changes are published in the Missouri Register. Licensees are charged with knowledge of current rules regardless of whether they personally received notice.

Standard precautions

Treat all blood and body fluids as infectious for every patient. Hand hygiene, gloves, and other PPE apply regardless of known diagnosis.

Critical instrument sterilization

Instruments that penetrate tissue must be cleaned and heat-sterilized, with biological monitoring at the interval Board rules and manufacturer instructions require.

Semicritical item processing

Items contacting mucosa, such as some mirrors and impression trays, require at least high-level disinfection or sterilization per manufacturer directions.

Dental unit waterline maintenance

Waterlines require the treatment and monitoring the rules and manufacturer specify to control microbial quality of water used in patient care.

Needlestick exposure response

Immediately wash the site, report the exposure, and obtain post-exposure evaluation and prophylaxis per the office exposure-control plan.

Record accuracy and timeliness

Entries must be made contemporaneously and include date, services, supervision status, and adverse events. Backdating or altering records is fraud.

Patient access to records

The practice owns the physical record, but the patient has a legal right of access to its contents, subject to limited permitted exceptions.

Confidentiality exceptions

Patient information may be disclosed with authorization or as legally required, such as mandatory abuse reporting, court order, or public health reporting.

Informed consent elements

Disclosure of the procedure, its material risks and alternatives, and the patient's voluntary agreement, documented in the patient record.

Disciplinary grounds list

Includes unlicensed or out-of-scope practice, gross negligence, incompetence, fraud, substance impairment, and conviction of certain crimes.

Contested case hearing

Disputed Board charges proceed under the Missouri Administrative Procedure Act, with notice, counsel, evidence presentation, and cross-examination rights.

Summary suspension

Emergency action the Board may take when continued practice poses immediate danger to the public, followed promptly by a hearing.

Judicial review of Board action

A final Board decision may be appealed to circuit court under the administrative standard of review, which is deferential to the agency's findings.

Practicing while suspended

Providing hygiene services during suspension or after revocation is unlicensed practice, supporting further discipline and criminal exposure.

Self-reporting obligations

Licensees must report certain convictions, malpractice payments, or out-of-state disciplinary actions within the required time; failure is a separate ground for discipline.