In Idaho, the State Board of Dentistry at their June meeting decided to not adopt the American Dental Association’s (ADA) 2016 revisions to their Guidelines for Teaching Pain Control and Sedation to Dentists and Dental Students. The rules regarding moderate sedation will be revised to include qualifying course requirements and to remove reference to the ADA’s sedation-related documents.

AGD opposed some of the ADA’s revisions to their sedation guidelines through testimony and written comment to the ADA House of Delegates, notably, the combination of training requirements for moderate intravenous sedation with moderate oral sedation. 

In Vermont, Vermont Technical College has hired a program director tasked with overseeing the implementation of the school’s dental therapy program, including the development of a curriculum and accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). 

In addition, the Vermont Board of Dental Examiners has begun developing rules that will provide the steps graduates would have to take to gain licensure as dental therapists, and how to maintain good standing. 

Vermont’s dental therapist law, passed in 2016, provides that dental therapists can practice under the general supervision of a dentist.

In Illinois, the General Assembly voted to override a veto issued by Governor Bruce Rauner in order to pass a budget for the first time in two years.  Throughout this period, the state accumulated a backlog of $14.7 billion in unpaid bills, approximately $200 million of which is owed to dentists.

One bill to address the backlog owed to dentists, SB 634, passed the Senate unanimously.  The bill would seek to allow dentists who have been waiting six months for payment from the state employee dental plan (Delta Dental of Illinois) to charge their full fees at the time the service is provided.

If you would like more information on legislative matters in your state, or are interested in carrying out advocacy on AGD issues, please contact us at advocacy@agd.org.