| in the practice of dentistry and to whom is reserved the |
| responsibilities specified in Section 17. |
| "Dental hygienist" means a person who holds a license |
| under this Act to perform dental services as authorized by |
| Section 18. |
| "Dental assistant" means an appropriately trained person |
| who, under the supervision of a dentist, provides dental |
| services as authorized by Section 17. |
| "Expanded function dental assistant" means a dental |
| assistant who has completed the training required by Section |
| 17.1 of this Act. |
| "Dental laboratory" means a person, firm or corporation |
| which: |
| (i) engages in making, providing, repairing or |
| altering dental prosthetic appliances and other artificial |
| materials and devices which are returned to a dentist for |
| insertion into the human oral cavity or which come in |
| contact with its adjacent structures and tissues; and |
| (ii) utilizes or employs a dental technician to |
| provide such services; and |
| (iii) performs such functions only for a dentist or |
| dentists. |
| "Supervision" means supervision of a dental hygienist or a |
| dental assistant requiring that a dentist authorize the |
| procedure, remain in the dental facility while the procedure |
| is performed, and approve the work performed by the dental |
| hygienist or dental assistant before dismissal of the patient, |
| but does not mean that the dentist must be present at all times |
| in the treatment room. |
| "General supervision" means supervision of a dental |
| hygienist requiring that the patient be a patient of record, |
| that the dentist examine the patient in accordance with |
| Section 18 prior to treatment by the dental hygienist, and |
| that the dentist authorize the procedures which are being |
| carried out by a notation in the patient's record, but not |
| requiring that a dentist be present when the authorized |
| procedures are being performed. The issuance of a prescription |
| to a dental laboratory by a dentist does not constitute |
| general supervision. |
| "Public member" means a person who is not a health |
| professional. For purposes of board membership, any person |
| with a significant financial interest in a health service or |
| profession is not a public member. |
| "Dentistry" means the healing art which is concerned with |
| the examination, diagnosis, treatment planning and care of |
| conditions within the human oral cavity and its adjacent |
| tissues and structures, as further specified in Section 17. |
| "Branches of dentistry" means the various specialties of |
| dentistry which, for purposes of this Act, shall be limited to |
| the following: endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, |
| orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, |
periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial |
| radiology , and dental anesthesiology . |
| "Specialist" means a dentist who has received a specialty |
| license pursuant to Section 11(b). |
| "Dental technician" means a person who owns, operates or |
| is employed by a dental laboratory and engages in making, |
| providing, repairing or altering dental prosthetic appliances |
| and other artificial materials and devices which are returned |
| to a dentist for insertion into the human oral cavity or which |
| come in contact with its adjacent structures and tissues. |
| "Impaired dentist" or "impaired dental hygienist" means a |
| dentist or dental hygienist who is unable to practice with |
| reasonable skill and safety because of a physical or mental |
| disability as evidenced by a written determination or written |
| consent based on clinical evidence, including deterioration |
| through the aging process, loss of motor skills, abuse of |
| drugs or alcohol, or a psychiatric disorder, of sufficient |
| degree to diminish the person's ability to deliver competent |
| patient care. |
| "Nurse" means a registered professional nurse, a certified |
| registered nurse anesthetist licensed as an advanced practice |
| registered nurse, or a licensed practical nurse licensed under |
| the Nurse Practice Act. |
| "Patient of record" means a patient for whom the patient's |
| most recent dentist has obtained a relevant medical and dental |
| history and on whom the dentist has performed an examination |
| and evaluated the condition to be treated. |
| "Dental responder" means a dentist or dental hygienist who |
| is appropriately certified in disaster preparedness, |
| immunizations, and dental humanitarian medical response |
| consistent with the Society of Disaster Medicine and Public |
| Health and training certified by the National Incident |
| Management System or the National Disaster Life Support |
| Foundation. |
| "Mobile dental van or portable dental unit" means any |
| self-contained or portable dental unit in which dentistry is |
| practiced that can be moved, towed, or transported from one |
| location to another in order to establish a location where |
| dental services can be provided. |
| "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 or 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 an 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. |
| "Teledentistry" means the use of telehealth systems and |
| methodologies in dentistry and includes patient care and |
| education delivery using synchronous and asynchronous |
| communications under a dentist's authority as provided under |
| this Act. |
| (Source: P.A. 100-215, eff. 1-1-18; 100-513, eff. 1-1-18; |
| 100-863, eff. 8-14-18; 101-64, eff. 7-12-19; 101-162, eff. |
| 7-26-19; revised 9-27-19.) |
| (225 ILCS 25/9) (from Ch. 111, par. 2309) |
| (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026) |
| Sec. 9. Qualifications of applicants for dental licenses. |
| The Department shall require that each applicant for a license |
| to practice dentistry shall: |
| (a) (Blank). |
| (b) Be at least 21 years of age and of good moral |
| character. |
| (c) (1) Present satisfactory evidence of completion of |
| dental education by graduation from a dental college or |
| school in the United States or Canada approved by the |
| Department. The Department shall not approve any dental |
| college or school which does not require at least (A) 60 |
| semester hours of collegiate credit or the equivalent in |
| acceptable subjects from a college or university before |
| admission, and (B) completion of at least 4 academic years |
| of instruction or the equivalent in an approved dental |
| college or school that is accredited by the Commission on |
| Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association; |
| or |
| (2) Present satisfactory evidence of completion of |
| dental education by graduation from a dental college or |
| school outside the United States or Canada and provide |
| satisfactory evidence that the applicant has: (A) |
| completed a minimum of 2 academic years of general dental |
| clinical training and obtained a doctorate of dental |
| surgery (DDS) or doctorate of dental medicine (DMD) at a |
| dental college or school in the United States or Canada |
| approved by the Department; or (B) met the program |
| requirements approved by rule by the Department. |
| Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent |
| either the Department or any dental college or school from |
| establishing higher standards than specified in this Act. |
| (d) (Blank). |
| (e) Present satisfactory evidence that the applicant |
has passed the integrated both parts of the National Board |
| Dental Examination administered by the Joint Commission on |
| National Dental Examinations and has successfully |
| completed an examination conducted by one of the following |
| regional testing services: the Central Regional Dental |
| Testing Service, Inc. (CRDTS), the Southern Regional |
| Testing Agency, Inc. (SRTA), the Western Regional |
| Examining Board (WREB), the Commission on Dental |
Competency Assessments (CDCA) North East Regional Board |
(NERB) , or the Council of Interstate Testing Agencies |
| (CITA). For purposes of this Section, successful |
| completion shall mean that the applicant has achieved a |
| minimum passing score as determined by the applicable |
| regional testing service. The Secretary may suspend a |
| regional testing service under this subsection (e) if, |
| after proper notice and hearing, it is established that |
| (i) the integrity of the examination has been breached so |
| as to make future test results unreliable or (ii) the test |
| is fundamentally deficient in testing clinical competency. |
| In determining professional capacity under this Section, |
| any individual who has not been actively engaged in the |
| practice of dentistry, has not been a dental student, or has |
| not been engaged in a formal program of dental education |
| during the 5 years immediately preceding the filing of an |
| application may be required to complete such additional |
| testing, training, or remedial education as the Board may deem |
