Every person who desires to obtain a license as a dental hygienist shall apply to the Department in writing, upon forms prepared and furnished by the Department. Each application shall contain proof of the particular qualifications required of the applicant, shall be verified by the applicant, under oath, and shall be accompanied by the required examination fee.
The Department shall require that every applicant for a license as a dental hygienist shall:
(2) Be a graduate of high school or its equivalent.(3) Present satisfactory evidence of having successfully completed 2 academic years of credit at a dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.(4) Submit evidence that he or she holds a currently valid certification to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The Department shall adopt rules establishing criteria for certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The rules of the Department shall provide for variances only in instances where the applicant is a person with a physical disability and therefore unable to secure such certification.(6) Present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has passed the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations and has successfully completed an examination conducted by one of the following regional testing services: the Central Regional Dental Testing Service, Inc. (CRDTS), the Southern Regional Testing Agency, Inc. (SRTA), the Western Regional Examining Board (WREB), or the North East Regional Board (NERB). For the purposes of this Section, successful completion shall mean that the applicant has achieved a minimum passing score as determined by the applicable regional testing service. The Secretary may suspend a regional testing service under this item (6) if, after proper notice and hearing, it is established that (i) the integrity of the examination has been breached so as to make future test results unreliable or (ii) the examination is fundamentally deficient in testing clinical competency.Amended by P.A. 099-0143,§ 570, eff. 7/27/2015.Amended by P.A. 097-1013,§ 5, eff. 8/17/2012.Amended by P.A. 096-0014,§ 5, eff. 6/19/2009.P.A. 89-80, eff. 6-30-95; 89-116, eff. 7-7-95; 89-387, eff. 8-20-95; 92-262, eff. 8-7-01.