The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

1. (1) Dental Hygienist--One who possesses the qualifications prescribed by the laws of this state and who possesses a valid certificate and current registration receipt issued by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners to so practice.
2. (2) Irreversible--an act that is "irreversible" is not capable of being reversed or corrected. This term includes, but is not limited to, the result of intra-oral use of any laser for any purpose including all or part of a whitening process.
3. (3) Root Planing--A definitive treatment procedure designed to remove cementum or surface dentin that is rough, impregnated with calculus, or contaminated with toxins or microorganisms.
4. (4) Scaling--Instrumentation of the crown and root surfaces of the teeth to remove plaque and calculus from these surfaces.
5. (5) Supervising Dentist--The term "supervising dentist" as used in these rules relating to the practice of dental hygiene, shall mean a dentist licensed by the State Board of Dental Examiners, who is responsible for monitoring the services to be performed by the dental hygienist. The supervising dentist must have and maintain a doctor patient relationship with any patient to whom any dental hygienist under his or her supervision provides services.
6. (6) General Supervision--In this section, "general supervision" means supervision of a dental hygienist by a supervising dentist, where the dentist may or may not be present when the dental hygienist performs the dental hygiene procedures.

Source Note:The provisions of this §115.1 adopted to be effective January 1, 1976; amended to be effective June 28, 1985, 10 TexReg 1971; amended to be effective October 20, 1997, 22 TexReg 10133; amended to be effective July 10, 2001, 26 TexReg 5004.