NMDHA's 29th Annual Scientific Session
Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21, 2017
UNM Continuing Education Building, 1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM
Contact: Mary Kaye Vigil marykayevigil@aol.com
More informationon Events Page.
NMDHA is not associated with any CE Tracker. Use of a CE tracker is optional. Hard copy CE certificates will be available at Scientific Session.
When: Friday & Saturday, September 22-23, 2017.
Where: Albuquerque, NM. Exact location TBA.
Registration Begins: March 20, 2017
Contact: http://www.nmdentalfoundation.org
The NM Dental Foundation is a 501 (c) 3
Contributions are tax deductible as allowed.
NMDHA is requested by statute to annually submit a list of names to the governor with recommendations for appointment to the Dental Hygienists' Committee of the NM Board of Dental Health Care. An appointment for District I, which includes the counties of San Juan, Rio Arriba, Taos, Sandoval, McKinley and Cibola, is open for nominations. To be considered, a dental hygienist shall be actively practicing and have been a licensed practitioner and resident of NM for a period of five years preceding the date of their appointment. Terms are for five years and commence on July 1. Please contact Cindy Vigil, NMDHA President, if you are interested.
Even though the Dental Therapist bill did not pass, we consider the 2017 Legislative Session to have been a success for the Dental Therapy licensing legislation. HB 264, the 2017 Dental Access/Dental Therapy bill, did pass unamimously through its two assigned House committees!!! It then passed on the NM House Floor with 60 - 5 votes. The bill then went on to pass unamimously out of the Senatte Public Affairs Committee where it had been stalled in years past. However, in spite of every effort, we were not able to attain the necessary votes in the second-assigned Senate Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the sponsor of the bill decided to pull the bill and end on a high note.
A big thank-you to all who supported this bill and worked hard to make it a reality. Our work continues....
On May 17, 2017 the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority board approved adding fluoride to the municipal water supply. However, the vote was challenged and there will be a hearing on June 21 to address it again. Please attend the meeting at 5:00 PM in the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers in the basement of the City/County Government Center at One Civic Plaza. It is important that a large number of supporters turn out for the meeting. It is also imperative to contact the water board members and ask for their support of community water fluoridation.
For more information, contact barb.posler@gmail.com
Please click here for ABCWUA Board information.
Please click here for the 10 Reasons to Fluoridate Public Water article.
The New Mexico Board of Dental Health Care offers several options for verification of course attendance. Check them all out on page 35 of the Rules and Regulations. "Dental Hygienists, Continuing Education Requirements" can be found on page 103. Familiarize yourself with all the rules & regs as there are changes yearly.
NMDHA provides an e-blast service, reminding you of upcoming events and CEs.
In order to shoot these updates to your inbox, NMDHA must receive your request to be added to the e-blast list. Send your request along with your email address to Kelly Valdez-Ayres, It's as easy as that!
The NM Board of Dental Health Care offers a low-cost, 3-hour, open-book jurisprudence CE. Rules change yearly and it is your responsibility to comply with and stay current with the rules.
For details about the CE go to http://www.rld.state.nm.us/boards/dental_health_care.aspx and click on Exam and Education Schedule, or for the actual exam, click on Forms and Applications.
16.5.1.9 B. “Any change in practice address(s) must be reported to the Board of Dental Health Care in writing within 30 days of the change." www.rld.state.nm.us/boards/Dental_Health_Care.aspx
Know the expiration date of your license- it is the licensee’s responsibility. Do not rely on an automatic renewal notice.
NMDHA also needs current contact information. To update your contact information to NMDHA, email Barb Posler barb.posler@gmail.com
It has come to the attention of the New Mexico Dental Hygienists Committee and the New Mexico Board of Dental Health Care, that some dental practices may be allowing dental assistants to perform coronal polishing on patients, particularly pediatric and adolescent, and billing this procedure out as a "prophylaxis". Just a reminder, coronal polishing does not constitute a dental prophylaxis and patients need to be assessed for the presence of plaque and calculus and scaled, if needed, by a licensed dentist or dental hygienist.
If a complaint is filed against a dental practice/dentist engaging in this practice and it is proven, your license could be held accountable for malpractice and insurance fraud. The definition of prophylaxis according to the New Mexico Board of Dental Health Care's Rules and Regulations is: "the removal of plaque, calculus and stains from tooth structures as to control irritational factors", as seen in NM61-5A-4. The rules further state that coronal polishing is "not to be represented as a prophylaxis", NM61-5A-5. Dental assistants must also be certified to expose radiographs, apply sealants, and to perform coronal polishing. If you need further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the NM Board of Dental Health Care.