Senate Bill No. 594

(By Senators Sprouse, Minard, Oliverio, Minear, McKenzie and Hunter)

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[Introduced February 21, 2000; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section fourteen, article four, chapter thirty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to setting forth certain dental hygiene program accreditation requirements.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section fourteen, article four, chapter thirty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 4. DENTISTS, DENTAL HYGIENISTS AND DENTAL CORPORATIONS.
§30-4-14. Prerequisites to practice dental hygiene; examination fee; licensing.

No person who has not been licensed as a dental hygienist in this state on or before the first day of September, one thousand nine hundred thirty-seven, shall may practice as a dental hygienist until he or she has first passed an examination or examinations selected by the West Virginia board of dental examiners and otherwise qualifies under such rules and regulations as the board may establish. Such The examination or examinations shall be both practical and theoretical. The fee for the examination shall be is thirty-five dollars and shall accompany the application. An applicant failing to pass the first examination shall be is entitled to one reexamination at the next regular meeting of the board without additional cost. The fee for every reexamination after that shall be is ten dollars. No portion of these fees is refundable.
The board of dental examiners shall issue a license to practice dental hygiene in this state to any person who has passed such an the examination and who has otherwise qualified to practice dental hygiene under the rules and regulations established by the board: Provided, That no person shall may be entitled to such a dental hygiene license unless he be or she is: (a) At least eighteen years of age; (b) of good moral character; (c) a graduate of a first class high school of this state or its equivalent; and (d) be a graduate of and possess an acceptable diploma in dental hygiene from a school having a course in dental hygiene approved by the board of dental examiners a school or college for dental hygienists whose dental hygiene program is accredited by the commission on dental accreditation of the American dental association or its successor specialty accrediting agency. The school or college must be accredited by a regional accrediting agency for colleges, universities or institutions of higher education which is recognized by the United States department of education, and must conduct a curriculum consisting of not less than two academic years for dental hygiene graduation with courses at the appropriate level to enable matriculation into a more advanced academic degree program.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to codify dental hygiene program accreditation requirements.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.