650—20.15(153) Public health supervision allowed. A dentist may provide public health supervision to a registered dental assistant if the dentist has an active Iowa license and the services are provided in a public or private school, public health agencies, hospitals, or the armed forces.
	20.15(1) Public health agencies defined. For the purposes of this rule, public health agencies include programs operated by federal, state, or local public health departments.
	20.15(2) Responsibilities. When working together in a public health supervision relationship, a dentist and registered dental assistant shall enter into a written agreement that specifies the following responsibilities.
	a. 	The dentist providing public health supervision must:
	(1)	Be available to provide communication and consultation with the registered dental assistant;
	(2)	Have age- and procedure-specific standing orders for the performance of services. Those standing orders must include consideration for medically compromised patients and medical conditions for which a dental evaluation must occur prior to the provision of services;
	(3)	Specify a period of time in which an examination by a dentist must occur prior to providing further services;
	(4)	Specify the location or locations where the services will be provided under public health supervision.
	b. 	A registered dental assistant providing services under public health supervision may only provide services which are limited to all extraoral duties, dental radiography, intraoral suctioning, and use of a curing light and intraoral camera and must:
	(1)	Maintain contact and communication with the dentist providing public health supervision;
	(2)	Practice according to age- and procedure-specific standing orders as directed by the supervising dentist, unless otherwise directed by the dentist for a specific patient;
	(3)	Ensure that the patient, parent, or guardian receives a written plan for referral to a dentist;
	(4)	Ensure that each patient, parent, or guardian signs a consent form that notifies the patient that the services that will be received do not take the place of regular dental checkups at a dental office and are meant for people who otherwise would not have access to services; and
	(5)	Ensure that a procedure is in place for creating and maintaining dental records for the patients who are treated, including where these records are to be located.
	c. 	The written agreement for public health supervision must be maintained by the dentist and the registered dental assistant and a copy filed with the board office within 30 days of the date on which the dentist and the registered dental assistant entered into the agreement. The dentist and registered dental assistant must review the agreement at least biennially.
	d. 	The registered dental assistant shall file annually with the supervising dentist and the bureau of oral and health delivery systems a report detailing the number of patients seen, the services provided to patients and the infection control protocols followed at each practice location.
	e. 	A copy of the written agreement for public health supervision shall be filed with the Bureau of Oral and Health Delivery Systems, Iowa Department of Public Health, Lucas State Office Building, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.
	20.15(3) Reporting requirements. Each registered dental assistant who has rendered services under public health supervision must complete a summary report at the completion of a program or, in the case of an ongoing program, at least annually. The report shall be filed with the bureau of oral and health delivery systems of the Iowa department of public health on forms provided by the department and shall include information related to the number of patients seen and services provided so that the department may assess the impact of the program. The department will provide summary reports to the board on an annual basis.
[ARC 2028C, IAB 6/10/15, effective 7/15/15; ARC 4948C, IAB 2/26/20, effective 4/1/20]