Tennessee Senate Bill SB2244

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 56; Title 63, Chapter 5; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to dental hygienists.

Summary

SB2244 makes a narrow change to the composition requirements for the Tennessee Board of Dentistry. Under current law, one of the dental hygienist members appointed to the board must have practiced dental hygiene for at least five years; this bill increases that minimum experience requirement to six years. The change applies only to dental hygienist members appointed on or after July 1, 2026. The bill does not alter licensure standards, scope of practice, or disciplinary authority for dental hygienists. Instead, it affects who may serve as a dental hygienist representative on the board that regulates dentistry and related professions in Tennessee. By raising the experience threshold, the bill slightly narrows the pool of eligible appointees and may be intended to ensure more seasoned professional representation on the board.

Impact

SB2244 amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 63-5-103(a)(2), which governs membership qualifications for the Board of Dentistry. The practical effect is to change the eligibility criteria for one dental hygienist seat on the board from five years of practice to six years, beginning with appointments made on or after July 1, 2026. No other statutes are changed, and the bill does not directly affect patient care rules, licensing requirements, or the duties of dental hygienists outside board service.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a low-contention administrative or technical change. The bill’s narrow focus suggests it is likely to have been viewed as a routine governance adjustment rather than a major policy shift. There is no evidence in the provided record of organized opposition or significant controversy.

Contention

The only apparent point of contention is the higher experience threshold for the dental hygienist board seat. Supporters would likely view the change as promoting more experienced professional oversight, while any critics might argue that increasing the requirement from five to six years unnecessarily reduces the pool of eligible appointees and could limit representation. No specific objections, amendments, or opposing arguments are included in the provided transcripts or voting history.