Dental Auxiliaries Regulations 1986

PART VI DENTAL HYGIENISTS

21.  There shall continue to be a class of dental auxiliaries who shall be called dental hygienists. The roll for this class kept by the Registrar in accordance with the provisions of regulation 2 shall be called the roll of dental hygienists.

22.  In accordance with the provisions of section 47(1) of the Act, a person enrolled in the roll of dental hygienists (hereafter called a dental hygienist) shall be authorised to use the title “dental hygienist”.

23.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this regulation, a dental hygienist shall be permitted to carry out dental work (amounting to the practice of dentistry) of the following kinds:

(a) cleaning and polishing teeth;

(b) scaling teeth (that is to say, removal of deposits, accretions and stains from those parts of the surfaces of the teeth which are exposed or which are directly beneath the free margins of the gums, including the application of medicaments appropriate thereto);

(c) the application to the teeth of such prophylactic materials as the Council may from time to time determine;

but shall not be permitted to carry out dental work amounting to the practice of dentistry of any other kind.

(2) A dental hygienist shall not be permitted to carry out such dental work authorised as aforesaid except under the direction of a registered dentist and after the registered dentist has examined the patient and has indicated to the dental hygienist the course of treatment to be provided for the patient.

(3) Except in the course of providing national health services, a dental hygienist shall carry out such dental work authorised as aforesaid only under the direct personal supervision of a registered dentist who is on the premises at which the hygienist is carrying out such work at the time at which it is being carried out.

24.  Courses of instruction for the dental hygienist class shall not be approved by the Council for the purposes of regulation 7(1) unless such courses extend over a period of at least nine months.