SB123 Alabama 2018 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Paul Bussman
Republican
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 pracitce 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, 34-9-4, 34-9-6, 34-9-6.1, 34-9-7, 34-9-7.1, 34-9-7.2, 34-9-8, 34-9-9, 34-9-10, 34-9-12, 34-9-13, 34-9-14, 34-9-15, 34-9-16, 34-9-18, 34-9-19, 34-9-22, 34-9-26, 34-9-27, 34-9-28, 34-9-40, 34-9-41, 34-9-43.2, 34-9-88, 34-38-2 am'd.
Summary: SB123 updates Alabama's dental regulation framework to redefine roles, expand some clinical authorities, strengthen patient protections, and modernize board operations.
What This Bill Does
It ends licensing for expanded duty dental assistants and adds a new dental hygiene infiltration anesthesia permit for hygienists. It defines patient abandonment as a grounds for discipline and imposes stricter follow-up, record-keeping, and consent requirements for mobile dental facilities. It broadens exemptions for mobile facilities to include state and local health department operations, expands licensure and advertising rules, extends licensure exam timing, and creates new governance and oversight changes for the Board of Dental Examiners, plus a new impairment committee framework and cross-state licensure options.

Who It Affects
Dentists and dental hygienists in Alabama—face new permits (infiltration anesthesia), display and renewal requirements, extended exam timelines, revised advertising rules, and changes to board governance and discipline.
Mobile dental facilities (including those operated by the Alabama Department of Public Health and county health departments)—must register, follow enhanced follow-up and emergency procedures, maintain records, and adhere to new notification and abandonment provisions.

Key Provisions
Discontinue licensing/regulation of expanded duty dental assistants.
Define infiltration anesthesia and authorize dental hygienists to administer it under direct supervision with a new dental hygiene infiltration anesthesia permit (34-9-60.1) and ongoing CE requirements.
Add patient abandonment as a ground for disciplinary action and require mobile facilities to have follow-up care arrangements, emergency protocols, and patient notification procedures.
Expand mobile facility exemptions to include health department-operated facilities; remove previous exemptions for cross-state practice based on <10 days/year or <10 patients/year.
Authorize the board to approve additional continuing education providers; set CE requirements for permits; extend licensure exam window to within 18 months after completion of a post-doctoral residency; allow license display and reproduction of annual registration certificates.
Revise advertising and specialty-status rules so the board, not ADA, approves specialty advertising; prohibit self-succession of appointed board members; adjust meeting requirements and allow more meetings; create or adjust fee structures for licenses, registrations, and permits.
Create 501(c)(3) clinic registration requirements and oversight for charitable clinics; establish a framework (including the Alabama Impaired Professionals Committee) for monitoring and supporting impaired professionals; adjust cross-state licensure pathways (special purpose licenses) and penalties for noncompliance.

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