Regulate Dental Therapists

On and after January 1, 2023, the bill prohibits a person from practicing dental therapy in the state unless licensed by the Colorado dental board (board). A licensed dental therapist is authorized to deliver routine and preventive dental care.

A person who desires to qualify for practice as a dental therapist must file with the board a written application for a license, proof of graduation from a school of dental therapy or a dental therapy program that meets the requirements of the bill, and proof of completion of the examinations required for licensure as a dental hygienist.

A dental therapist is allowed to practice only under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist until the dental therapist practices for 1,000 hours.

After reaching 1,000 hours, the dental therapist may practice under the indirect supervision of a licensed dentist pursuant to a written articulated plan. The articulated plan must include:

• Methods of dentist supervision, consultation, and approval;
• Protocols for informed consent, record keeping, quality assurance, and dispensing or administering medications;
• Policies for handling referrals when a patient needs services the dental therapist is not authorized or qualified to provide;
• Policies for handling medical emergencies; and
• Policies for supervising dental assistants and working with dental hygienists and other dental practitioners and staff.

A licensed dental therapist must maintain professional liability insurance in an amount not less than $500,000 per incident and $1.5 million annual aggregate per year; except that this requirement is not applicable to a dental therapist who is a public employee under the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act".

A state institution of higher education offering an accredited dental therapy training program may grant advanced standing toward completion of an accredited dental therapy program if a student meets the conditions specified in the bill.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)