At one time, dentists were only allowed to supervise up to three hygienists. That restriction has been removed from law, so the issue now is a matter of the dentist's judgment ...

A hygienist, in most practice settings, works under the dentist's close or general supervision. Close supervision means “a dentist [must] be physically present in the treatment facility while the procedures [are] ...

According to Washington State law, “The attending dentist, without reasonable cause, shall not neglect, ignore, abandon, or refuse to complete the current procedure for a patient. If the dentist chooses to ...

The National Provider Identifier (NPI) is a government-issued, standard identification number for individual health care providers, clinics, and group practices. This number will replace social security numbers, individual tax ID ...

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which supersedes state law, prohibits dental offices from charging a patient or a patient’s representative for chart pulling or records handling. Dental ...

Both the state and federal governments have laws on healthcare record retention, but the federal law supersedes the state law. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires that all ...

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (AwDA), a dental office is considered to be a place of public accommodation and thus is prohibited from discriminating by reason of a disability. ...

In Washington State, a dental license must be renewed every year on a practitioner’s birthday unless the licensee has a faculty or resident license. Faculty and resident licenses must be ...

The state requires that licensed dentists complete twenty-one clock hours of continuing education (CE) during the 12 months preceding the dentist’s annual renewal date. DQAC does not approve or authorize ...

There are some restrictions on the duties a minor can perform in a dental office, particularly surrounding bloodborne pathogens. Essentially, minors cannot perform any job where they can come into contact ...

The amount that dentists can charge for copying records changes every two years. Current amounts can be found here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=246-08-400