1. (1) Any person desiring to be licensed as a dental hygienist shall apply to the department to take the licensure examinations and shall verify the information required on the application by oath. The application shall include two recent photographs of the applicant. There shall be a nonrefundable application fee set by the board not to exceed $100 and an examination fee set by the board which shall not be more than $225. The examination fee may be refunded if the applicant is found ineligible to take the examinations.

2. (2) An applicant shall be entitled to take the examinations required in this section to practice dental hygiene in this state if the applicant:

   1. (a) Is 18 years of age or older.

   2. (b) 1. Is a graduate of a dental hygiene college or school approved by the board or accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Dental Association or its successor agency; or

      2. Is a graduate of a dental college or school accredited in accordance with s. 466.006(2)(b), or a graduate of an unaccredited dental college or school, and has met the requirements of subsection (3).

   3. (c) 1. In the case of a graduate of a dental hygiene college or school under subparagraph (2)(b)1.:

      a. Has successfully completed the National Board of Dental Hygiene examination within 10 years of the date of application;

      b. Has been certified by the American Dental Association Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations within 10 years of the date of application; and

      c. Effective January 1, 1997, has completed coursework which is comparable to an associate in science degree.

      2. In the case of a graduate of a dental college or school under subparagraph (2)(b)2., has successfully completed either the National Board of Dental Hygiene examination or the National Board of Dental Examiners dental examination, within 10 years of the date of application.

3. (3) A graduate of a dental college or school shall be entitled to take the examinations required in this section to practice dental hygiene in this state if, in addition to the requirements specified in subsection (2), the graduate meets the following requirements:

   1. (a) Submits the following credentials for review by the board:

      1. Transcripts of predental education and dental education totaling 5 academic years of postsecondary education, including 4 academic years of dental education; and

      2. A dental school diploma which is comparable to a D.D.S. or D.M.D. Such credentials shall be submitted in a manner provided by rule of the board. The board shall approve those credentials which comply with this paragraph and with rules of the board adopted pursuant to this paragraph. The provisions of this paragraph notwithstanding, an applicant of a foreign dental college or school not accredited in accordance with s. 466.006(2)(b) who cannot produce the credentials required by this paragraph, as a result of political or other conditions in the country in which the applicant received his or her education, may seek the board's approval of his or her educational background by submitting, in lieu of the credentials required in this paragraph, such other reasonable and reliable evidence as may be set forth by board rule. The board shall not accept such other evidence until it has made a reasonable attempt to obtain the credentials required by this paragraph from the educational institutions the applicant is alleged to have attended, unless the board is otherwise satisfied that such credentials cannot be obtained.

   2. (b) Successfully completes one or more courses, of a scope and duration approved and defined by board rule, that meet the requirements of law for instructing health care providers on the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. In addition, the board may require an applicant who graduated from a nonaccredited dental college or school to successfully complete additional coursework, as defined by board rule, at an educational institution approved by the board or accredited as provided in subparagraph (2)(b)1. A graduate of a foreign dental college or school not accredited in accordance with s. 466.006(2)(b) may not take the coursework set forth in this paragraph until the board has approved the credentials required by paragraph (a).

4. (4) To be licensed as a dental hygienist in this state, an applicant must successfully complete the following:

   1. (a) A written examination on the laws and rules of this state regulating the practice of dental hygiene.
   2. (b) A practical or clinical examination. The practical or clinical examination shall test competency in areas to be established by rule of the board which shall include testing the ability to adequately perform a prophylaxis. On or after October 1, 1986, every applicant who is otherwise qualified shall be eligible to take the examination a total of three times, notwithstanding the number of times the applicant has previously failed. If an applicant fails the examination three times, the applicant shall no longer be eligible to take the examination unless he or she obtains additional educational requirements established by the board. The department shall require a mandatory standardization exercise pursuant to s. 455.574(1)(b) for all examiners prior to each practical or clinical examination and shall retain for employment only those dentists and dental hygienists who have substantially adhered to the standard of grading established at such exercise. It is the intent of the Legislature that the examinations relate to those procedures which are actually performed by a dental hygienist in general practice.

History.--ss. 1, 3, ch. 79-330; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 6, 23, 24, ch. 86-291; s. 16, ch. 88-205; s. 60, ch. 91-137; s. 7, ch. 91-156; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 98, ch. 92-149; s. 1, ch. 94-105; s. 2, ch. 96-281; s. 1108, ch. 97-103; s. 70, ch. 98-166.