(A) Every person licensed to practice as a dental hygienist and required to register with the state dental board shall certify to the board at the time of applying for a renewal of registration that in the two-year period preceding the registration period for which renewal is sought the registrant completed a minimum of twenty-four hours of continuing dental hygiene education. Certification shall be made upon the application for registration prescribed by the board pursuant to section 4715.24 of the Revised Code.

(B)

(1) The board shall apply toward the satisfaction of a registrant's continuing dental hygiene education requirement any of the following courses that the registrant completed:

(a) The basic life-support training course required by section 4715.251 of the Revised Code;

(b) Any course required by statute or rule of the board for registration;

(c) Any course required by statute or rule of the board as a condition of performing a particular function;

(d) Any other course that the board determines acceptable.

(2) In the case of a registrant whose license was reinstated under section 4715.242 of the Revised Code, the board shall apply toward the satisfaction of the registrant's continuing dental hygiene education requirement any course that the board applied toward the continuing dental hygiene education requirement for reinstatement of the license if the course was completed during the two-year period immediately preceding the registration period for which renewal is sought.

(C) Continuing education programs may be developed and offered to dental hygienists by any of the following agencies or organizations:

(1) National, state, district, or local dental hygienists' associations affiliated with the American dental hygienists' association;

(2) National, state, district, or local dental associations affiliated with the American dental association or national dental association;

(3) Accredited dental hygiene colleges or schools;

(4) Accredited dental colleges or schools;

(5) Other organizations, schools, paraprofessional programs, or agencies approved by the state dental board.

(D) A licensed dental hygienist shall retain in the dental hygienist's records for a period of at least four years such receipts, vouchers, or certificates as may be necessary to document completion of continuing education programs. With cause, the board may request such documentation from licensed dental hygienists, and the board may request such documentation from licensed dental hygienists at random without cause.

(E) The board may excuse licensed dental hygienists, as a group or as individuals, from all or any part of the requirements of this section because of an unusual circumstance, emergency, or special hardship.

(F) Failure to comply with the requirements of this section constitutes a failure to renew registration pursuant to section 4715.24 of the Revised Code.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.34, HB 190, §1, eff. 8/31/2010.

Effective Date: 01-01-1992 .