S 6532 NY

0likes☆Favorite🔕SubscribeShare

Skip to main content

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie

--> --> -->

Assembly Members

Legislative Info

Public Hearings

Speaker's Press

Assembly Reports

Committees & More

Bill Search Home Laws Legislative Calendar Public Hearing Schedule Assembly Calendars Assembly Committee Agenda Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page.

Bill No.: Summary Actions Committee&nbspVotes Floor&nbspVotes Memo Text LFIN Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript S06532 Summary: BILL NO S06532A &nbsp SAME AS SAME AS A05928-A

&nbsp SPONSOR FAHY &nbsp COSPNSR &nbsp MLTSPNSR &nbsp Amd Art 133 Art Head, §6600, add §§6614 & 6615, Ed L; amd §365-a, Soc Serv L &nbsp Requires individuals who practice the profession of dental therapy to be licensed and registered in the state; provides Medicaid reimbursement for dental therapy services.

Go to top S06532 Text:

STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________

6532--A

2025-2026 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

March 17, 2025 ___________

Introduced by Sen. FAHY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education -- recom- mitted to the Committee on Higher Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to licensing of a dental therapist; and to amend the social services law, in relation to Medi- caid reimbursement for dental therapy services

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows:

1 Section 1. The article heading of article 133 of the education law, as 2 amended by chapter 390 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 DENTISTRY, DENTAL HYGIENE, DENTAL THERAPY, 5 AND REGISTERED DENTAL ASSISTING 6 § 2. Section 6600 of the education law, as amended by chapter 390 of 7 the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows: 8 § 6600. Introduction. This article applies to the professions of 9 dentistry, dental hygiene, dental therapy, and registered dental assist- 10 ing. The general provisions for all professions contained in article one 11 hundred thirty of this title apply to this article. 12 § 3. The education law is amended by adding two new sections 6614 and 13 6615 to read as follows: 14 § 6614. Requirements for a license as a dental therapist. 1. Licens- 15 ing. To qualify for a license as a dental therapist, an applicant shall 16 fulfill the following requirements: 17 (a) Application: submit an application in the manner prescribed by the 18 department; 19 (b) Education: be a graduate of a dental therapy education program 20 that is accredited by the commission on dental accreditation of the 21 American dental association or any other dental accrediting entity

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10043-03-6

S. 6532--A 2

1 recognized by the United States department of education. A graduate of a 2 non-accredited education program is also eligible for licensure if the 3 applicant's education and training is comparable to an accredited 4 program considering both the applicant's education program and any addi- 5 tional education, training or supervised practice that was completed by 6 the applicant after graduation, as determined by the department. 7 (c) Experience: have demonstrated clinical competency to provide 8 dental therapy services through at least one of the following methods: 9 (i) Graduation from an accredited, competency-based dental therapy 10 education program that includes supervised clinical practice and 11 requires demonstration of clinical competency prior to graduation, as 12 determined by the department and in accordance with the commissioner's 13 regulations; 14 (ii) Completion of a total of four hundred hours of clinical practice 15 under the direct or indirect supervision of a licensed dentist which may 16 be completed during or after the applicant's dental therapy education or 17 a combination of both; or 18 (iii) Passing a clinical licensing examination administered by a 19 board-approved regional or national dental testing service or another 20 examination approved by the department; 21 (d) Examination: have successfully completed a written examination on 22 the laws and rules of this state relating to the practice of dental 23 therapy; 24 (e) Age: be at least eighteen years of age; 25 (f) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen or a 26 noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United 27 States; provided, however, that the board of regents may grant a three 28 year waiver for a noncitizen to practice in an area which has been 29 designated a federal dental health professions shortage area, except 30 that the board of regents may grant an additional extension not to 31 exceed six years to a noncitizen to enable such noncitizen to secure 32 citizenship or permanent resident status, provided such status is being 33 actively pursued; 34 (g) Character: be of good moral character as determined by the depart- 35 ment; and 36 (h) Fees: pay a fee to be determined by the department. 37 2. Dentist supervision. A dental therapist licensed under this section 38 may perform the dental therapy services in subdivision five under the 39 general supervision of a state-licensed dentist to the extent authorized 40 by the supervising dentist and provided consistent with the terms of a 41 written collaboration agreement that meets the requirements of subdivi- 42 sion three. A supervising dentist may authorize a dental therapist to 43 provide dental therapy services without a prior examination or diagnosis 44 by a dentist. 45 3. Collaborative agreement. Prior to performing any of the services 46 authorized under this section, a dental therapist shall enter into a 47 written collaboration agreement with a state-licensed supervising 48 dentist. The agreement must be signed by the dental therapist and the 49 supervising dentist, updated whenever changes are made in the superviso- 50 ry or collaborative relationship, and maintained on file. A dentist may 51 enter into a collaborative agreement with more than one dental therapist 52 and a dental therapist may enter into a collaborative agreement with 53 more than one dentist. The collaborative agreement must include at least 54 the following components: 55 (a) Methods of dentist supervision, consultation and approval.

S. 6532--A 3

1 (b) The services the dental therapist is authorized to provide, 2 including any limits or conditions set by the supervising dentist on the 3 provision of any of the services set forth in subdivision five of this 4 section; 5 (c) The settings in which the supervising dentist authorizes dental 6 therapy services to be provided and the circumstances or conditions 7 under which services may be provided in particular settings; 8 (d) Protocols for informed consent, recordkeeping, quality assurance, 9 and dispensing or administering medications; 10 (e) Policies for handling referrals when a patient needs services the 11 dental therapist is not authorized or qualified to provide; 12 (f) Policies for handling medical emergencies; and 13 (g) Policies for supervision of dental assistants and working with 14 dental hygienists and other dental practitioners and staff. 15 4. Supervision of dental assistants. A dental therapist may supervise 16 one or more dental assistants. 17 5. Dental therapy services. A licensed dental therapist may provide 18 the following dental therapy services to the extent authorized in the 19 written collaboration agreement: 20 (a) All the services for which education is provided by accredited 21 dental therapy education programs under the Commission on Dental Accred- 22 itation's accreditation standards for dental therapy education programs; 23 (b) Oral examination, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment planning for 24 conditions and services that are within the dental therapist's scope of 25 practice and education; 26 (c) Any of the following services if a dental therapist's education 27 program or post-graduation education included education on the provision 28 of the service: 29 (i) Evaluation of radiographic images; 30 (ii) Administration of nitrous oxide; 31 (iii) Placement and removal of intraoral sutures; 32 (iv) Pulpotomy on primary teeth; 33 (v) Fabrication of soft occlusal guards; 34 (vi) Tooth reimplantation and stabilization; 35 (vii) Recementing permanent crowns; and 36 (viii) Simple extractions of periodontally diseased permanent teeth 37 with mobility of +3 or +4. 38 (d) Other related services and functions for which the dental thera- 39 pist has education and training; and 40 (e) Other services authorized in accordance with regulations promul- 41 gated by the commissioner. 42 6. Continuing education. Mandating continuing education for dental 43 therapists. (a)(i) Each dental therapist licensed pursuant to this 44 section and required to register triennially with the department to 45 practice in this state shall comply with the provisions of the mandatory 46 continuing education requirements, except as set forth in this subpara- 47 graph and subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph. Dental therapists who do 48 not satisfy the mandatory continuing education requirements shall not 49 practice until they have met such requirements and have been issued a 50 registration or conditional registration certificate. 51 (ii) Dental therapists shall be exempt from the mandatory continuing 52 education requirement for the triennial registration period during which 53 they are first licensed. In accordance with the intent of this section, 54 adjustments to the mandatory continuing education requirement may be 55 granted by the department for reasons of health, certified by a physi- 56 cian, for extended active duty with the Armed Forces of the United

S. 6532--A 4

1 States, or for other good cause acceptable to the department which may 2 prevent compliance. 3 (iii) A licensed dental therapist not engaged in the practice of 4 dental therapy shall be exempt from the mandatory continuing education 5 requirement upon the filing of a statement with the department declaring 6 such status. Any licensee who returns to the practice of dental therapy 7 during the triennial registration period shall notify the department 8 prior to reentering the profession and shall meet such mandatory contin- 9 uing education requirements as shall be prescribed by regulation of the 10 commissioner. 11 (b) During each triennial registration period an applicant for regis- 12 tration shall complete a minimum of twenty-four hours of acceptable 13 formal continuing education, including currently mandated child abuse 14 reporting instruction and infection control training as approved by the 15 department. Of these twenty-four hours, a maximum of ten hours may be 16 self-instructional coursework as approved by the department. A licensee 17 who has not satisfied the mandatory continuing education requirements 18 shall not be issued a triennial registration certificate by the depart- 19 ment and shall not practice unless and until a conditional registration 20 certificate is issued as provided in paragraph (c) of this subdivision. 21 The individual licensee shall determine the selection of courses or 22 programs of study pursuant to this paragraph. 23 (c) The department, in its discretion, may issue a conditional regis- 24 tration to a licensee who fails to meet the continuing education 25 requirements established in this section but who agrees to make up any 26 deficiencies and take any additional education which the department may 27 require. The fee for such a conditional registration shall be the same 28 as, and in addition to, the fee for the triennial registration. The 29 duration of such conditional registration shall be determined by the 30 department. Any licensee who is notified of the denial of registration 31 for failure to submit evidence, satisfactory to the department, of 32 completion of required continuing education and who practices dental 33 therapy without such registration, may be subject to disciplinary 34 proceedings pursuant to section sixty-five hundred ten of this title. 35 (d) As used in this section, "acceptable formal continuing education" 36 shall mean formal programs of learning which contribute to professional 37 practice and which meet the standards prescribed by regulations of the 38 commissioner. To fulfill the mandatory continuing education requirement, 39 programs shall be taken from sponsors approved by the department, pursu- 40 ant to the regulations of the commissioner. 41 (e) The mandatory continuing education fee of thirty dollars shall be 42 payable on or before the first day of each triennial registration period 43 and shall be paid in addition to the triennial registration fee required 44 by this section. 45 7. Applicants licensed in other jurisdictions. Licensing by credential 46 is authorized for an applicant who holds a license or certification as a 47 dental therapist or comparable professional in another state or tribal 48 jurisdiction or who has graduated from an accredited dental therapy 49 program or has a combination of dental therapy education, post-gradua- 50 tion education or training, and clinical practice experience that is 51 comparable to an accredited education program and has successfully 52 completed a dental therapy clinical competency examination approved by 53 the jurisdiction in which the applicant is licensed or satisfied other 54 methods of demonstrating competency approved by that jurisdiction 55 including, but not limited to, completion of a competency-based educa-

S. 6532--A 5

1 tion program or completing a minimum number of hours of preceptorship or 2 supervised practice. 3 § 6615. Practice of dental therapy and use of title "dental thera- 4 pist". Only a person licensed under section sixty-six hundred fourteen 5 of this article or exempt shall practice dental therapy or use the title 6 "dental therapist". 7 § 4. Subdivision 2 of section 365-a of the social services law is 8 amended by adding a new paragraph (oo) to read as follows: 9 (oo) care and services furnished by a licensed dental therapist pursu- 10 ant to article one hundred thirty-three of the education law who is 11 enrolled as a medicaid managed care provider; 12 § 5. The commissioner of education is authorized to promulgate or 13 adopt any rules or regulations necessary to implement the provisions of 14 this act and any procedures, forms, or instructions necessary for such 15 implementation may be adopted and issued on or after the effective date 16 of this act. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of the state 17 administrative procedure act or any other provision of law, rule or 18 regulation, the commissioner of education and the superintendent of 19 financial services and any appropriate council is authorized to adopt or 20 amend or promulgate on an emergency basis any regulation such commis- 21 sioner or such council determines necessary to implement any provision 22 of this act on its effective date. 23 § 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 24 it shall have become a law.

Go to top

Sitemap

Request Information

Directions and Maps