Hello fellow Illinois dental hygienists!

Did you know that the Illinois Dental Practice Act under the definition for “dental responders” (225 ILCS 25/54.2) allows a dental hygienist who is deemed a dental responder to be acting within the bounds of his or her license when providing disaster immunizations, mobile and humanitarian care during a declared, local, State or national emergency? 

To that point, 2021 is already bringing very exciting initiatives for the Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association (IDHA).  We have been busy working alongside the Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS) to form a united front in the fight against COVID-19.  IDHA has requested to be included in the mass vaccination efforts to administer the SARS-CoV2/COVID-19 vaccine, per our Dental Practice Act. This opportunity would include licensed dental hygienists’ who possess certification in local anesthesia and take the Just in time (JIT) training  This initiative expands the scope of practice for licensed dental hygienists’ who wish to serve as vaccine injectors at mass vaccination events and aids in bridging the gap between dentistry and medicine.

Our Association's leaders are always working on new and innovative ways to achieve our professional goals and bridge the oral systemic link.  Goals that include increasing access to care and always advocating that dental hygienists’ work to their highest scope.  

Your voice is important.  Please encourage all dental hygienists to join our professional organization.  A growing membership will increase the IDHA’s ability to advocate on behalf of all 9035 licensed dental hygienists’ in the state of Illinois, as we present oral health initiatives to Illinois Government where health care decisions are made. 

May we serve as one with purpose,

Sherri S Foran, RDH, BSDH, MPA, PHDH

President 2020-21 

Illinois Dental Hygienists' Association

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CPR and CE updates Dec 2020.pdf

Hello Illinois Dental Hygienists!

I am excited to announce that the Public Health Dental Hygienist legislation is in place, and the first seven Public Health Dental Hygienists completed their training on March 31, 2020! To learn more about how to become a Public Health Dental Hygienist in Illinois, please visit the PHDH page on our website. 

We are all facing difficult and trying times in dental hygiene today. COVID-19 has put us out of work, and making us really contemplate what the future will hold for us. IDHA is doing all that we can to keep hygienists informed, so that we all have the right information we need when we return to seeing our patients. Please visit our website, or the ADHA site for current updates. ADHA also has a COVID-19 page with information and FAQ’s. You can also submit your own questions directly to them at rdhcovidinfo@adha.net.

During this time of reflection and reminiscing, think about your professional life. Do you have gifts that can make a difference? Would you be willing to assist your association with your talent for event planning? For those of you who are drawn to politics, our legislative and Hy-PAC committees would love to have your help with legislative events. Those of you who enjoy working with kids, would you be willing to donate just 5 to 6 hours per year at health fairs? Somehow there's an impression that involvement in our professional organization is a "time suck", however, I can fervently exclaim this is false! From my observations of each committee member and trustee, there is approximately a 10 hour per year commitment. Some months may be a little busier than others. Do you have that amount of time to share? If you're interested, please reach out to a trustee  or committee member to express your curiosity. Additionally, do you have ideas that you think we should try? Let us know.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you on November 6-7 at our Annual Session at GC America in Alsip IL!!

Jeanne Bosecker, BSN, RDH
IDHA President 2019-2020

As of January 1, 2020 - Every six years, dental hygienists are required to take Mandated Reporter training. (See section "K" of the Act - link below) 

DCFS offers training "Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse:  Training for Mandated Reporters." Here is the link to the FREE online training:  https://mr.dcfstraining.org/UserAuth/Login!loginPage.action  

If you are interested in reading the entire Abused and Neglect Child Reporting Act, the link is provided below.  In it, Dental Hygienists are listed as mandated reporters if we suspect child abuse.  This Act also applies to Adult abuse.  Here's the link:  http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1460&ChapterID=32

For information about the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, please click here:  https://www2.illinois.gov/dcfs/safekids/reporting/Pages/index.aspx

Call the 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873 or TTY 1-800-358-5117) if you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first. Your confidential call will not only make sure the child is safe, but also help provide the child’s family the services they need to provide a safe, loving and nurturing home.

July 13, 2019

Below are the revisions to the Illinois Dental Practice Act regarding the Public Health Dental Hygienist Definition and Training

Definition of Public Health Dental Hygienist 

“Public health dental hygienist” means a hygienist who holds a valid license to practice in the State has 2 years of full-time clinical experience or an equivalent of 4,000 hours of clinical experience and has completed at least 42 clock hours of additional structured courses in dental education in advanced areas specific to public health dentistry.

“Public health setting” means a federally qualified health center; a federal. State, or local public health facility; Head Start; a special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) facility; or a certified school-based health center of school-based oral health program.

“Public health supervision” means the supervision of a public health dental hygienist by a licensed dentist who has a written public health supervision agreement with that public health dental hygienist while working in a n approved facility or program that allows the public health dental hygienist to treat patients, without a dentist first examining the patient and being present in the facility during treatment, (1) who are eligible for Medicaid or (2) who are uninsured and whose household income is not greater than 200% of the federal poverty level.

Sec. 13.5. Training programs for public health dental hygienists.

• (a)   With respect to the requirement that a public health dental hygienist have additional structured courses in dental education in advanced areas specific to public health dentistry, education in advanced areas specific to public health dentistry must include emergency procedures for medically compromised patients (5 hours), pharmacology (5 hours), medical recordkeeping procedures (4 hours), geriatric dentistry (5 hours), pediatric dentistry (5 hours), and pathology (5 hours) provided by:

• (1)   An educational institution accredited by the Commission of Dental Accreditation, such as a dental school or dental hygiene program; or
• (2)   A statewide dental association or dental hygiene association, approved by the Department to provide continuing education, that has developed and conducted training programs for expanded functions for dental assistants and hygienists.
• (b)    Training programs for a public health dental hygienist must:
• (1)   Include a minimum 29 hours of didactic study as described in subsection (a), which may be taken in an online structured format and in compliance with the continued learning education requirements of 68 Illinois Administrative Code 1220.440;
• (2)   Require completing of 5 hours of didactic courses in the following topic areas:  special needs dentistry, teledentistry, nutritional needs of geriatric and low income patients, communication techniques with non-English speaking patients, cultural competency, and professional ethics;
• (3)    Require completion of an 8 hour in-person classroom review that includes a comprehension exam on the subjects required in subsection (a) and submit certification of successful completion to the supervising dentist; and
• (4)   Issue a certificate of completion of the training program requirement, which must be kept on file at the supervising dentist’s office and with the public health dental hygienist which will be made available to the Department upon request.
• Sec. 13.10. Public health dental hygienist supervision agreement.  After completion of the requirements of Section 13.5, a public health dental hygienist may operate in a public health setting that meets the requirements of Section 18.1 with a dentist who is working in or has contracted with a local or State government agency or institution or who is providing services as part of a certified school-based program or school-based oral health program.

Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

House Bill 2676 (HB2676) passed out of the House of Representatives today with 115-0 votes. HB2676 is now off to the Senate. We are halfway there!!

If you’re interested in following the progress of bill – HB2676 – see link below. Remember to click on “Full Text” (upper left corner) as the synopsis is not as detailed. There are many steps before it is passed. We’ll keep you updated as the process proceeds.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp…

For additional information please don’t hesitate to contact IDHA at 800-550-4342, mail@idha.net or message through Facebook messenger.

Many of you may wonder: what ever happened with the Public Health Dental Hygienist (PHDH) certification.   As some of you know, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation delayed the rules for the training criteria for the PHDH.   In February 2019, the Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS) submitted a bill – HB2676.   This bill contained the requirements for the training and education for public health dental hygienists.  The Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association opposed some of the requirements ISDS proposed.  Over the last few weeks, our two associations collaborated and compromised, which led to the current language in HB2676. 

Absolutely, there are aspects of the bill with which both ISDS and IDHA were not in agreement. Therefore, our position of the bill is neutral, because our mission at IDHA, first and foremost, is to “improve the public’s total health.”  By not opposing this bill, we have an opportunity to provide great care to so many underserved individuals in Illinois.

If you’re interested in following the progress of bill – HB2676 – here is a link.  Remember to click on “Full Text” (upper left corner) as the synopsis is not as detailed.   This bill is on the second reading in the House.  There are many steps before it is passed.  We’ll keep you updated as the process proceeds.

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=2676&GAID=15&SessionID=108&LegID=118869

For additional information please don’t hesitate to contact IDHA at 800-550-4342 or mail@idha.net.

April 9, 2018

Please read and share with your practice the following urgent memo from the Illinois Department of Public Health regarding the use of synthetic cannabinoids with bordifacoum.  Severe bleeding has been reported in 89 cases since March 7, 2018.  Download the memo here.

IDHA may need your help to get the Public Health Dental Hygienist coursework expedited! Please watch your email for a possible legislative alert.

The Public Health Dental Hygienist (PHDH) was passed into law July 2016. To date the PHDH coursework has not been written by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

On September 26, Terri Apostolou, IDHA President Lisa Schmidt, and Component Trustee Jeanne Boesecker attended the Illinois Board of Dentistry meeting. Once again, IDHA expressed concerns regarding the timeframe in which the PHDH was signed into law, and the unwritten coursework.

IDHA works extremely hard on behalf of every RDH in the state, and will continue with every effort to expedite the PHDH coursework. Please visit the Legislative page on IDHA.net for the most up to date information.