Public Act 096-0014
 
HB0563 Enrolled LRB096 04742 ASK 14806 b

    AN ACT concerning professional regulation.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Dental Practice Act is amended by
changing Sections 9 and 13 as follows:
 
    (225 ILCS 25/9)  (from Ch. 111, par. 2309)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2016)
    Sec. 9. Qualifications of Applicants for Dental Licenses.
The Department shall require that each applicant for a license
to practice dentistry shall:
    (a) (Blank).
    (b) Be at least 21 years of age and of good moral
character.
    (c) (1) Present satisfactory evidence of completion of
dental education by graduation from a dental college or school
in the United States or Canada approved by the Department. The
Department shall not approve any dental college or school which
does not require at least (A) 60 semester hours of collegiate
credit or the equivalent in acceptable subjects from a college
or university before admission, and (B) completion of at least
4 academic years of instruction or the equivalent in an
approved dental college or school before graduation; or
    (2) Present satisfactory evidence of completion of dental
education by graduation from a dental college or school outside
the United States or Canada and provide satisfactory evidence
that:
        (A) (blank);
        (B) the applicant has completed a minimum of 2 academic
    years of general dental clinical training at a dental
    college or school in the United States or Canada approved
    by the Department, however, an accredited advanced dental
    education program approved by the Department of no less
    than 2 years may be substituted for the 2 academic years of
    general dental clinical training and an applicant who was
    enrolled for not less than one year in an approved clinical
    program prior to January 1, 1993 at an Illinois dental
    college or school shall be required to complete only that
    program; and
        (C) the applicant has received certification from the
    dean of an approved dental college or school in the United
    States or Canada or the program director of an approved
    advanced dental education program stating that the
    applicant has achieved the same level of scientific
    knowledge and clinical competence as required of all
    graduates of the college, school, or advanced dental
    education program.
    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent either
the Department or any dental college or school from
establishing higher standards than specified in this Act.
    (d) In determining professional capacity under this
Section, any individual who has not been actively engaged in
the practice of dentistry, has not been a dental student, or
has not been engaged in a formal program of dental education
during the 5 years immediately preceding the filing of an
application may be required to complete such additional
testing, training, or remedial education as the Board may deem
necessary in order to establish the applicant's present
capacity to practice dentistry with reasonable judgment,
skill, and safety.
    (e) Present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has
passed both parts of the National Board Dental Examination
administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental
Examinations and has successfully completed an examination
conducted by one of the following regional testing services:
the Central Regional Dental Testing Service, Inc. (CRDTS), the
Southern Regional Testing Agency, Inc. (SRTA), the Western
Regional Examining Board (WREB), or the North East Regional
Board (NERB). For purposes of this Section, successful
completion shall mean that the applicant has achieved a minimum
passing score as determined by the applicable regional testing
service.
    (f) The Secretary of the Department may suspend a regional
testing service under subsection (e) of this Section if, after
proper notice and hearing, it is established that (i) the
integrity of the examination has been breached so as to make
future test results unreliable or (ii) the test is
fundamentally deficient in testing clinical competency. Pass
an examination authorized or given by the Department in the
theory and practice of the science of dentistry; provided, that
the Department (1) may recognize a certificate granted by the
National Board of Dental Examiners in lieu of, or subject to,
such examination as may be required and (2) may recognize
successful completion of the clinical examination conducted by
approved regional testing services in lieu of such examinations
as may be required. For purposes of this Section, successful
completion shall mean that the applicant has achieved a minimum
passing score on the regional examinations as determined by
each approved regional testing service.
(Source: P.A. 94-409, eff. 12-31-05.)
 
    (225 ILCS 25/13)  (from Ch. 111, par. 2313)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2016)
    Sec. 13. Qualifications of Applicants for Dental
Hygienists. Every person who desires to obtain a license as a
dental hygienist shall apply to the Department in writing, upon
forms prepared and furnished by the Department. Each
application shall contain proof of the particular
qualifications required of the applicant, shall be verified by
the applicant, under oath, and shall be accompanied by the
required examination fee.
    The Department shall require that every applicant for a
license as a dental hygienist shall:
    (1) (Blank).
    (2) Be a graduate of high school or its equivalent.
    (3) Present satisfactory evidence of having successfully
completed 2 academic years of credit at a dental hygiene
program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of
the American Dental Association.
    (4) Submit evidence that he holds a currently valid
certification to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The
Department shall adopt rules establishing criteria for
certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The rules of
the Department shall provide for variances only in instances
where the applicant is physically disabled and therefore unable
to secure such certification.
    (5) (Blank).
    (6) Present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has
passed the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination
administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental
Examinations and has successfully completed an examination
conducted by one of the following regional testing services:
the Central Regional Dental Testing Service, Inc. (CRDTS), the
Southern Regional Testing Agency, Inc. (SRTA), the Western
Regional Examining Board (WREB), or the North East Regional
Board (NERB). For the purposes of this Section, successful
completion shall mean that the applicant has achieved a minimum
passing score as determined by the applicable regional testing
service. The Secretary of the Department may suspend a regional
testing service under this item (6) if, after proper notice and
hearing, it is established that (i) the integrity of the
examination has been breached so as to make future test results
unreliable or (ii) the examination is fundamentally deficient
in testing clinical competency. Pass an examination authorized
or given by the Department in the subjects usually taught in
approved programs of dental hygiene, which examination shall
determine the qualifications of applicants to perform the
operative procedures of dental hygiene. The Department may
recognize a certificate granted by the National Board of Dental
Examiners in lieu of, or subject to, such examination.
(Source: P.A. 92-262, eff. 8-7-01.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.