Oregon Dental Practice Act: Scope of Practice and Definitions
What this domain tests
Oregon's Dental Practice Act (ORS chapters 679 and 680, implemented by OAR chapter 818) draws the line between the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene. Exam items ask you to classify a task, identify who may perform it, and state the required supervision level. The Act defines the practice of dentistry broadly: diagnosis, treatment planning, prescribing, surgery, and irreversible procedures. Dental hygiene is a separate license authorizing preventive and therapeutic services and specific additional functions only when Board rules allow.
Core rules
- Scope comes from statute and rule, not from an employer's job description or a dentist's verbal permission.
- A dental hygienist may perform dental hygiene services and Board-authorized additional functions; the hygienist may not diagnose, prescribe, or perform irreversible or surgical procedures unless a rule specifically permits it.
- Expanded practice dental hygienists hold a separate permit and may practice in specified community settings without on-site dentist supervision, but remain bound by the same standard of care.
- Supervision terms are defined in OAR 818; direct and general supervision have different presence and authorization requirements.
Worked example
A patient points to a mobile tooth and asks the hygienist to pull it while they are there. The correct answer is no. Extraction is a surgical procedure within the practice of dentistry; it is not a dental hygiene function, and a dentist's general authorization does not convert it into one. The hygienist should stabilize, document, and refer for a dental evaluation.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming every task a dentist may delegate is delegable to a hygienist. Confusing dental assistant expanded functions with hygiene scope. Treating an expanded practice permit as an unrestricted license. Relying on office policy when the rule is stricter.