South Carolina H 4169: Dental hygienists

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4169 Text of Previous Version (Mar. 06, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4169

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 40-15-85, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS CONCERNING THE REGULATION OF 
DENTISTS, DENTAL HYGIENISTS, AND DENTAL TECHNICIANS BY THE STATE BOARD OF 
DENTISTRY, SO AS TO DEFINE A NECESSARY TERM; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-15-80, 
RELATING TO ACTS CONSIDERED TO BE THE PRACTICE OF DENTAL HYGIENE, SO AS TO 
EXPAND SERVICES THAT LICENSED DENTAL HYGIENISTS MAY PERFORM WITHOUT SUPERVISION 
OR WITH GENERAL SUPERVISION, AND TO PROVIDE DENTAL HYGIENISTS PRACTICING 
INTERDEPENDENTLY IN PUBLIC HEALTH SETTINGS WITHOUT SUPERVISION MUST BE 
RECOGNIZED AS PROVIDERS BY MEDICAID AND OTHER PAYERS AND MAY BE DIRECTLY 
REMIBURSED BY SUCH PAYERS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-15-102, RELATING TO THE GENERAL 
SUPERVISION OF DENTAL HYGIENISTS BY DENTISTS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES; 
AND BY AMENDING SECTION 40-15-110, RELATING TO EXEMPTIONS FROM REGULATION BY 
THE BOARD, SO AS TO REMOVE CERTAIN OVERSIGHT REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSED DENTAL 
HYGIENISTS WHO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND REVERSIBLE PREVENTIVE CARE IN CERTAIN 
SETTINGS, AMONG OTHER THINGS.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 40-15-85 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 (16) "Primary preventive care that is reversible" 
means comprehensive preventive services that:

 (a) 
prevent the spread of dental disease, protect a tooth from further 
deterioration, and promote healing;

 (b) 
address dental decay that has no pulpal involvement and does not involve the 
removal of all decay;

 (c) 
do not require radiographs to be performed; and

 (d) 
must be reimbursed by Medicaid and include, but are not limited to:

 (i) 
Atraumatic Restorative Technique (ART);

 (ii) 
Caries Control Technique (CCT);

 (iii) 
Intermediate Restorative Technique (IRT); and

 (iv) 
Therapeutic Dental Sealants.

SECTION 2. Section 40-15-80 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
40-15-80. (A) Any person is 
considered to be practicing dental hygiene who engages in those clinical 
procedures primarily concerned with the performance of preventive dental 
services not constituting the practice of dentistry, including removing all 
hard and soft deposits and stains from the surfaces of human teeth, root 
planing, performing clinical examination of teeth and surrounding tissues, and 
charting of oral conditions for diagnosis by a dentist, and performing such 
other procedures as may be delegated by regulations of the board.

 (B) 
In school settings, licensed dental hygienists may apply topical fluoride, including silver diamine fluoride, and may perform the 
application of sealants, and oral 
prophylaxis, and primary preventative care that is 
reversible under general without supervision, with written permission of the 
student's parent or guardian.

 (C) 
In hospitals, nursing homes, long term care facilities, rural and community 
clinics, medical offices, homebound settings, prisons, health 
facilities operated by federal, state, county, or local governments, hospices, 
education institutions accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation 
that give instruction in dental hygiene, and in bona fide charitable 
institutions, licensed dental hygienists may apply topical fluoride, including silver diamine fluoride, take radiographs, 
and perform the application of sealants, and oral prophylaxis, and primary 
preventative care that is reversible under general without supervision. Treatment may not occur in these 
settings unless medical emergency care is available within the facility.

 (D) 
Licensed dental hygienists may provide oral hygiene instruction and counseling, 
perform oral screenings, and provide nutrition and dietary counseling without 
prior authorization.

 (E) 
Upon certification by the board and when under the directgeneral supervision of a practicing dentist, a licensed 
dental hygienist may administer local infiltration anesthesia.

 (F) 
This section is not intended to establish independent dental hygiene practice.

 (G) 
No person other than a licensed dentist or dental hygienist may use the title 
"dental hygienist," present themselveshimself as being a dental hygienist, or perform oral 
prophylaxis. This does not preclude an expanded duty dental assistant from 
polishing restorations and supra-gingival tooth structure. Dental hygienists 
practicing without supervision, under general 
supervision, or both must maintain professional 
liability insurance. Dental hygienists practicing 
interdependently in public health settings without supervision must be 
recognized as providers by Medicaid and other payers and may be directly 
reimbursed by Medicaid and other