New Jersey A 435: Requires DOH to use Basic Screening Survey to assess oral health in children.

Bill Text

A435 

ASSEMBLY, No. 435 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman MICHAEL VENEZIA

District 34 (Essex)

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, Assemblyman Tully, 
Assemblywoman Drulis and Assemblyman Freiman

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DOH to use Basic Screening Survey to assess 
oral health in children.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

��

An Act concerning oral health and supplementing Title 26 of 
the Revised Statutes.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� (1) The Department 
of Health, in conjunction with one or more licensed dentists and related staff, 
shall collect a sufficient number of random data samples from each county in 
the State on a biannual basis using the Basic Screening Survey produced by the 
Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors in order to formulate a 
general assessment of the oral health of pre-school and school aged children in 
this State. 

���� (2) No data shall be collected 
pursuant to this subsection without the informed, written consent of a child�s 
parent or guardian.

���� (3) Any data collected 
pursuant to this subsection shall be collected and used in a manner that is 
consistent with federal and State privacy laws.

���� b.��� The Department of Health 
shall submit a report biennially to the Governor, and to the Legislature 
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), which report shall 
contain any findings and recommendations based on the data collected pursuant 
to subsection a. of this section. 

���� c.���� The Commissioner of 
Health shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the 
�Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as 
necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.

���� 2.� This act shall take effect 
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the 
Department of Health (department) to use the Basic Screening Survey to assess 
oral health in children.

���� Under the bill, the Department 
of Health, in conjunction with one or more licensed dentists and related staff, 
is to collect a sufficient number of random data samples from each county in 
the State on a biannual basis using the Basic Screening Survey produced by the 
Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors in order to formulate a 
general assessment of the oral health of pre-school and school aged children in 
this State.� No data is to be collected without the informed, written consent 
of a child�s parent or guardian.� Any data that is collected is to be collected 
and used in a manner that is consistent with federal and State privacy laws.

���� The bill requires the 
department to submit a report biennially to the Governor, and to the 
Legislature, which report is to contain any findings and recommendations based 
on the data collected pursuant to the bill�s provisions. 

���� The Basic Screening Survey is 
used by states to assess oral health status.� Developed by the American 
Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, this survey can be 
performed in dental clinics, at health fairs, at other screening opportunities, 
and through a retrospective chart review.� The Basic Screening Survey is not a 
thorough clinical examination and does not involve making a clinical diagnosis 
resulting in a treatment plan.� The Basic Screening Survey is intended to 
identify gross dental or oral lesions.