Advocacy History in Oregon

For details, click on below links.

2021

  • Dental Therapists Authorized to Practice in Oregon
  • Expanded Practice Dental Hygienists May Place ITR
  • COVID-19 Vaccines The ODHA sent a letter to Governor Kate Brown urging her to authorize dental hygienists in Oregon to administer the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic. The ODHA also partnered with the Oregon Dental Association (ODA) and other stakeholder groups to send a coalition letter to the Governor urging her to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine for dental providers. During 2020 and 2021, the ODHA posted COVID-19 updates on their website that can be viewed here.
  • 2020

  • Dental Therapy Bill Introduced, But Not Passed  In 2020 Senate Bill 1549 was introduced with support from the Oregon Dental Access Committee. The intent of this bill was to create a licensed dental therapist for Oregon. The ODHA provided testimony in support of this bill. This bill did not pass, but led to formation of a work group that drafted legislation that resulted in the passage of House Bill 2528 in 2021.
  • ITR Bill Introduced, But Not Passed In 2020 Senate Bill 1550 was introduced with support from Capitol Dental. The intent of this bill was to allow expanded practice dental hygienists to place interim therapeutic restorations (ITR) per an agreement with a licensed dentist. The ODHA provided testimony in support of this bill. The Senate passed this bill unanimously, but it was still waiting for a floor vote in the House of Representatives when the legislative session ended. This bill was introduced again in 2021 and passed as House Bill 2627.
  • Oregon Board of Dentistry Rules for Clinical Board Exams In 2019 Senate Bill 824 amended the Oregon law to allow the Oregon Board of Dentistry to accept results from “board-recognized” testing agencies. This change would allow the Board to accept results from clinical board examinations that did not include a live patient component. In 2020 the Oregon Board of Dentistry proposed rule changes that would have required a psychomotor skills component with a manikin or live patient for clinical board examinations accepted for dental & dental hygiene licensure in Oregon. The ODHA worked together with the Oregon Dental Association, the OHSU School of Dentistry & the Oregon dental hygiene program directors to oppose these proposed rule changes. The ODHA send the Board an opposition letter, signed on to a coalition opposition letter & sent an Advocacy Alert to ODHA members with a link to an automated system that allowed them to quickly & easily send opposition letters to the Board. These proposed rule changes did not go into effect, so Oregon continues to accept clinical board examinations that do not include a manikin or live patient component.
  • COVID-19 Response
  • In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ODHA sent letters to the Oregon Board of Dentistry & to the Governor to advocate for graduating dental hygiene students who were unable to fulfill the clinical board examination requirement for licensure due to the pandemic. During 2020 & 2021, the ODHA posted COVID-19 updates on their website that can be viewed here.

  

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