HB132 Alabama 2018 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Marcel Black

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2018

Title

Dental Examiners, Board of, patient abandonment defined, exemption of mobile facilities expanded to all state and local health dept. mobile dental facilities, exemptions for limited practice clarified, cont. education providers, time for taking licensing exam extended, display of license and reproduction of registration cert., fees, disciplinary action, approval of specialty status by board, membership ballot procedure, succession on bd., technical corrections, Secs. 34-9-1, 34-9-6.1, 34-9-7, 34-9-7.1, 34-9-10, 34-9-13, 34-9-15, 34-9-16, 34-9-18, 34-9-19, 34-9-40, 34-9-41, 34-9-88 am'd.

Summary

HB 132 updates Alabama's dental regulation framework by adding patient abandonment as grounds for discipline, expanding mobile facility exemptions, and modernizing licensing, CE, and advertising rules for dentists and hygienists.

What This Bill Does

It defines patient abandonment and makes termination of dental treatment without adequate notice or follow-up care a disciplinary ground for dentists. It expands the mobile dental facility registration exemption to include facilities operated by the Alabama Department of Public Health or local county health departments. It tightens cross-state practice exemptions by replacing the rule based on days or times with a limit of less than 10 days per year and removing the exemption based on treating fewer than 10 patients per calendar year. It also allows the board to approve additional continuing education providers, extend the licensure exam window to 18 months after completing a postdoctoral residency, require license display, allow reproduction of annual registration certificates, and updates advertising, board governance, and sedation permit renewal CE requirements.

Who It Affects

• Dentists: could be disciplined for patient abandonment; must display licenses; subject to changes in advertising rules and licensing/CE requirements.
• Dental hygienists and expanded duty dental assistants: face licensing/display changes, CE updates, and sedation permit renewal requirements.
• Mobile dental facility operators and health departments: must register mobile/portable operations, maintain records, provide emergency follow-up and patient notification, and meet insurance and facility standards.
• Continuing education providers and exam administration: board may approve more CE providers and adjust related fees and requirements.
• Patients (including Medicaid/Medicaid-affected individuals): may experience improved follow-up care, clearer consent processes, and standardized information after mobile treatments.
• Board governance and advertising framework: changes to board elections, meetings, and the process for recognizing advertising specialties.

Key Provisions

• Defines patient abandonment and makes it a ground for disciplinary action for dentists.
• Expands mobile dental facility exemptions to include facilities operated by the Alabama Department of Public Health or local county health departments.
• Revises cross-state practice exemptions to allow infrequent practice of less than 10 days per year and removes the exemption for practicing fewer than 10 patients per calendar year.
• Allows the board to approve additional continuing education providers and to establish continuing education requirements for permits.
• Extends licensure by examination to within 18 months after completion of an accredited or approved post-doctoral residency program.
• Requires dentists and dental hygienists to display their license certificates visibly and allows reproduction of the annual registration certificate.
• Gives the board authority to adjust and set various fees, including the dental hygiene regional exam application fee and other licensure-related costs.
• Changes the way specialty status is recognized for advertising, placing the board in charge of specialty determinations and requiring disclosures for non-recognized specialties.
• Makes governance changes to the board, such as removing the requirement that ballots accompany annual registration forms, prohibiting appointed board members from succeeding themselves, and allowing additional board meetings.
• Requires continuing education proof for annual renewal of the oral conscious sedation permit.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Dentists