State Board of Dental Examiners; clarify powers and duties relating to practice of dentistry and dental hygiene.
SB 2674 amends Section 73-9-13 of the Mississippi Code to clarify and restate the powers and duties of the State Board of Dental Examiners. The bill confirms the board’s authority to regulate the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene, adopt reasonable rules to protect the public, and prescribe the acts, services, procedures, and practices that may be performed by dentists and dental hygienists. It specifically states that this authority includes regulating licensed dental hygienists who work under a dentist’s direct or general supervision within limits set by the board.
The bill also reorganizes and reiterates the board’s existing administrative and enforcement powers, including licensing, reregistration, examinations, discipline, investigations, advertising rules, employment of counsel and technical personnel, and recordkeeping standards. It adds or restates minimum dental record retention requirements: dental records must be kept for at least 10 years, supporting images and X-rays for at least 3 years, and records must be provided to a parent or guardian of an unemancipated minor under 18 without the minor’s permission. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
The bill would amend the statutory framework governing the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners, primarily in Section 73-9-13, by clarifying the board’s rulemaking and regulatory authority over dentistry and dental hygiene. It reinforces the board’s ability to set limits on dental hygienists’ activities under dentist supervision and to regulate licensure, discipline, advertising, examinations, and records retention. The measure affects dentists, dental hygienists, dental offices, and patients by confirming compliance obligations and record-access rules, but it does not appear to create a new licensing scheme or major substantive program beyond clarifying existing authority.
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be a routine professional-regulation bill with no recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials. The overall tone is neutral and administrative, focused on clarifying board authority rather than advancing a controversial policy change. Because there are no transcripts or vote records, there is no evidence of significant opposition or support in the available context.
The main potential point of contention is the scope of the State Board of Dental Examiners’ authority to define and limit what licensed dental hygienists may do while working under dentist supervision. That issue could matter to dentists, dental hygienists, and professional licensing stakeholders if the board uses the clarified authority to expand or restrict hygienist duties. A secondary issue is the records-access provision allowing parents or guardians to obtain records of unemancipated minors without the minor’s permission, though no specific opposition is shown in the provided materials.