NM HB258

Expands dental hygiene practice by removing the requirement for general supervision by a dentist, allowing dental hygienists in collaborative practice or certified as public health dental hygienists to perform services independently pursuant to board rules

Creates new "public health dental hygienist" certification allowing practice without supervision or collaborative agreement in public health and nontraditional settings for educational, assessment, preventive, clinical, therapeutic and diagnostic services

Authorizes public health dental hygienists and collaborative practice dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia without supervision after completing two years of indirect supervision experience with at least twenty documented cases

Replaces "dental hygiene-focused assessment" with "dental hygiene diagnosis," defined as professional judgment to identify and interpret oral health conditions, risks and patient needs within the hygienist's scope of practice

Adds "collaborating dentist" definition and updates terminology throughout the Dental Health Care Act, changing references from "consulting dentist" to "collaborating dentist" for hygienists working in collaborative practice arrangements