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Take Action to Support Your Dental School Faculty
ASDA’s newest ASDA Action alert supports dental school faculty by allowing those participating in the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program (DFLRP) to exclude federal loan repayment assistance from their taxable income. Learn more about this bill in the “From Washington” section below.
S. 2172/H.R. 7814 will help schools continue to recruit and retain qualified faculty – just like those who teach you every day.
Send a pre-populated letter to your congressperson. Your faculty will thank you!
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ASDA's Newest Policy Aligns with Maine Domestic Abuse Survivor Program
A new nonprofit throughout Maine, Finding Our Smiles, is providing free dental care to survivors of domestic violence. In less than one year since its founding, 17 dentists, specialists, and dental labs have donated nearly $70,000 in procedures from implants, braces, crowns and fillings.
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Why does it matter? In February, ASDA’s House of Delegates updated our B-6 policy on domestic abuse and neglect. ASDA urges dental students to recognize their legal and ethical responsibilities regarding the early detection and reporting of child, spousal, or elder abuse, domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. ASDA strongly supports the incorporation of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and human trafficking recognition courses in the existing curriculum. Policies like these support initiatives like the Finding Our Smiles program in Maine. | | |
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Senate Recognizes 75th Anniversary of NIDCR
On March 20, the U.S. Senate passed a simple resolution recognizing the 75th anniversary of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and its critical role in improving the dental, oral, and craniofacial health of the United States through research, training, and the dissemination of health information.
Back in 1948, President Harry S. Truman and members of Congress were concerned about the epidemic of tooth decay adversely affecting the oral health, overall health, and military readiness of the United States during World War II. In response, they created a national institute to research disease prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies. The resolution discusses NIDCR’s many accomplishments and benefits to the overall public health and science strategy of the United States. A similar resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, DDS (R-TX).
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What is a simple resolution? In Congress, a matter concerning the operation of either the House of Representatives or the Senate, alone, is initiated by a simple resolution. For example, a resolution affecting the Senate like the resolution above, is designated “S. Res.” Followed by the number. These resolutions don’t follow the typical legislative process where both chambers of Congress must agree to the bill before being presented to the President for action. Upon agreement by the chamber, that is the end of the legislative process for a simple resolution. | | |
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House of Representatives Introduces Dental Loan Repayment Assistance Act
On March 20, three dentist members of Congress, and one bipartisan cosponsor introduced H.R. 7814, the Dental Loan Repayment Assistance Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. A companion bill was previously introduced in the Senate last year. This bill supports dental faculty by allowing full-time faculty members participating in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program (DFLRP) to exclude from income the amount of their loan forgiveness from their federal income taxes.
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Why does it matter? Historically, dental schools have been challenged with recruiting and retaining qualified and diverse faculty for schools, residencies, and advanced programs because of the income disparity between education and public practice. The DFLRP program was created to help preserve and grow the dental workforce by supporting more dental faculty who train future dentists.
ASDA’s support: ASDA has supported this bill for many years in previous sessions of Congress, in letters with other members of organized dentistry, in press releases, and most recently in an April 2024 letter to House sponsors.
Send a pre-populated letter to your congressperson. Your faculty will thank you!
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National Health Service Corps Accepting Applications
Applications for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program are open now through April 25. Students pursuing eligible primary care health professions can apply for financial support and, in return, will serve at least two years in a community in need. For more information, click here or watch a recording of the application assistance webinar.
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Virginia Becomes Fifth State to Enact DDH Compact
On March 8, 2024, Virginia became the fifth state to enact the Dentist and Dental Hygienist (DDH) compact. As described in the February 2024 issue of Advocacy Brief, the DDH compact will create reciprocity among participating states to reduce the barriers of licensure portability. This is an exciting advancement, as the compact legislation will officially take effect once 7 states join.
Legislation is making its way through other states’ chambers as well. Currently, legislation is pending in 11 other states including Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Alabama, among others.
For more information about the DDH compact’s benefits, as well as a map of states in which legislation has been introduced or enacted, click here.
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Changes to Allied Oral Health Professionals Pending in Several States
Several states across the country currently have new or pending legislation that may have an impact on dentists and other oral health professionals.
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Arizona: Two bills recently passed the Arizona State House. Next, both bills will move to the Arizona State Senate.
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AZ HB2072 allows a dental hygienist to administer local anesthetics under the direct supervision of a dentist if they have completed any local anesthetics exam, rather than specifically WREB. The bill also reduces the amount of time that a dentist and other dental professionals have to submit a renewal application for an expired license.
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AZ HB2639 provides dental assistants with new options for qualifying requirements to expose radiographs for dental diagnostic purposes, as well as to polish natural and restored surfaces of the teeth.
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In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed a bill that removes a requirement for dental hygienists to have been actively engaged in the practice of clinical dental hygiene in two of the previous three years in order to provide preventive and therapeutic services under the collaborative supervision of a dentist.
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In Virginia, legislation passed the state House which extends the timeframe from 90 to 180 days during which a dental hygienist may continue to treat a patient under remote supervision before the supervising dentist is required to conduct an exam, or for the patient to be referred. Next, the bill goes to the Virginia state Senate.
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A bill in West Virginia passed the Senate that will allow dental hygienists to provide tobacco cessation education to patients to improve overall dental health. Next, the bill goes to the West Virginia State House for consideration.
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