MT Dental Hygiene Jurisprudence study plan

Map the Montana Dental Practice Act structure by outlining its articles and identifying where scope, definitions, and licensing provisions sit

Define the statutory terms that carry exam weight, including the practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, and supervised practice, in your own words

Distinguish the roles of the Board of Dentistry, the Department of Labor and Industry, and the legislature in creating and enforcing the Act

Identify which statutory sections apply to hygienists versus dentists and flag the boundary rules

Compare each supervision level (direct, indirect, general, and any public health or extended-care categories) by who must be present, who authorizes care, and what documentation is required

List the specific procedures hygienists may perform under each supervision level and note which require a dentist's prior examination

Trace how a patient moves from dentist exam to hygienist treatment to dentist re-evaluation under each supervision model

Build a decision rule for answering scenario questions where the supervision level is implied rather than stated

Re-read the licensing framework sections and connect licensure pathways to the scope rules studied in week 2

Identify the statutory limits on unlicensed practice and how they interact with delegated duties

Work through boundary cases such as a hygienist asked to perform a procedure outside scope or without required authorization

Summarize the penalties attached to scope and licensing violations

Outline the initial licensure pathway, including examination requirements, application steps, and any provisional or temporary provisions

Detail the renewal cycle, deadlines, fees, and late-renewal consequences

Catalog the continuing education requirement, including hour totals, permissible categories, and any mandatory topic areas

Identify audit and recordkeeping obligations for CE documentation

Identify the infection control and sterilization requirements the Act and Board rules impose on dental practices

Sequence the standard reprocessing steps for instruments and note where documentation is required

Describe the handling requirements for sharps, regulated waste, and exposure incidents

Explain how infection control deficiencies become disciplinary matters rather than mere clinical errors

Specify what a compliant patient record must contain and how long records must be retained

Apply the confidentiality rules, including the permitted disclosures and the patient-access right to records

Break down the elements of valid informed consent and identify who may obtain it for which procedures

Analyze scenarios where record-keeping or consent failures create both civil and disciplinary exposure

Define unprofessional conduct by listing the specific statutory categories and giving a concrete example of each

Distinguish ethical obligations from enforceable legal duties and note where they overlap

Work through conduct scenarios involving impaired practice, misrepresentation, and abandonment of patients

Identify reporting duties that arise when a licensee observes misconduct

Map the complaint process from filing through investigation, hearing, and appeal, naming each decision point

List the range of disciplinary actions available to the Board and the factors that drive severity

Review the highest-weight domains (1 and 2) using spaced retrieval rather than re-reading

Complete a timed mixed-domain practice set and analyze every miss by domain and error type