Senate Bill 1129 - Dental Therapist Licensure

• Establishes dental therapy as a licensed dental profession in Idaho, defining the practice to include identifying oral conditions, performing prophylaxis, administering non-narcotic medications as prescribed by a dentist, and placing direct restorations, with services limited to tribal reservations and federal health programs except in schools and long-term care facilities in certain cities.

• Requires dental therapists to complete an accredited dental therapy program with 500 hours of supervised clinical practice under direct dentist supervision and pass board-approved examinations to qualify for licensure.

• Allows the State Board of Dentistry to issue dental therapy licenses by credentials to applicants with active licenses in other states, at least two years clinical practice, and 2,000 hours of experience in the preceding three years.

• Sets biennial dental therapy license fees at up to $300 for active status and $150 for inactive status, and establishes grounds for license revocation including unlawful practice, malpractice, and unprofessional conduct.

• Limits supervising dentists to no more than three dental therapists and requires the board to establish appropriate supervision levels through negotiated rulemaking.