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Passing of HB 509: Revise and streamline occupational regulations

HB 509 passed in both in the Ohio House and Senate and was signed by the Governor on January 5, 2023 and becomes effective on April 6, 2023. The purpose behind the bill was to streamline occupational regulations statewide with the intent to aid in attracting healthcare professionals to the State of Ohio. The legislation affected all licensed healthcare workers in Ohio with approximately a 20% reduction in required continuing education hours.  Therefore, effective April 6, 2023:  

• Dentists will be required to complete at least 30 CE hours per biennium (as opposed to the minimum of 40 CE hours each biennium).  
   
• Dental hygienists will be required to complete at least 20 CE hours per biennium (as opposed to the minimum of 24 CE hours each biennium).  

Keep in mind that even though you only need to submit a minimum of 20 CEUs at the end of 2023, you will still need to ensure that you have completed a minimum of 2 CE on opioid prescribing (remains in effect until January 1, 2024). 
 

Click here for more information on HB 509  

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Mandatory Opioid Prescribing CE 

Reminder ...
Mandatory opioid prescribing education continuing education experiences pertaining to the prescribing of opioids for acute, subacute and chronic pain. The requirement that a licensee obtain a minimum of two hours of opioid prescribing is due by December 31, 2023.

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From the State Dental Board of Ohio

The Board recently amended OAC rule 4715-8-01(B) to require dentists and dental hygienists to obtain a minimum of two (2) hours of continuing education per biennium pertaining to the prescribing of opioids for acute, subacute, and chronic pain. This requirement applies to the 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 biennium only. 

You may be wondering why RDHs would be included in this mandate.  Although RDHs are not licensed to actually prescribe, they are definitely responsible for assessing/updating patient medical history and clinical assessments, including recognizing acute, subacute, and chronic pain and patterns/potential for addiction.  RDHs are included in patient treatment planning concerning pain management (e.g. local anesthetic).  Ultimately, RDHs are directly involved with patient safety and education, so the importance of this educational requirement cannot be overstated. 

Licensees should ensure they meet this continuing education requirement during each biennium. You may view OAC rule 4715-8-01(B) here: 

http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/4715-8 

If you would like more information regarding other continuing education requirements, please visit the “Education & Renewal” tab of the OSDB website: 

https://dental.ohio.gov/continuing-education

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Permissible Practices Documentation for Dental Hygienists

Please be advised that the Ohio State Dental Board (OSDB) requires every dental hygienist to provide and maintain specific documentation in each office or facility in which they are employed. The documentation does NOT need to be filed with the OSDB, but must be maintained at each place of employment in their employee file. Please click here for the Permissible Practices Documentation for Dental Hygienists.