HB 0657, Engrossed 1 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to dentistry; amending ss. 381.7353 and
3	381.7355, F.S.; including oral health care in the Closing
4	the Gap grant program; amending s. 466.006, F.S.; allowing
5	certain dental students to take the examinations required
6	to practice dentistry in this state under specified
7	conditions; providing a prerequisite to licensure of such
8	students; creating s. 466.0065, F.S.; allowing certain
9	dental students to take regional licensure examinations
10	under specified conditions; restricting the applicability
11	of examination results to licensing in other
12	jurisdictions; requiring approval by the Board of
13	Dentistry and providing prerequisites to such approval;
14	providing an effective date.
15
16	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18	Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
19	381.7353, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
20	381.7353 Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities:
21	Closing the Gap grant program; administration; department
22	duties.--
23	(2) The department shall:
24	(e) Coordinate with existing community-based programs,
25	such as chronic disease community intervention programs, cancer
26	prevention and control programs, diabetes control programs, oral
27	health care programs,the Healthy Start program, the Florida
28	KidCare Program, the HIV/AIDS program, immunization programs,
29	and other related programs at the state and local levels, to
30	avoid duplication of effort and promote consistency.
31	Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
32	381.7355, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
33	381.7355 Project requirements; review criteria.--
34	(2) A proposal must include each of the following
35	elements:
36	(a) The purpose and objectives of the proposal, including
37	identification of the particular racial or ethnic disparity the
38	project will address. The proposal must address one or more of
39	the following priority areas:
40	1. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in maternal
41	and infant mortality rates.
42	2. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity
43	and mortality rates relating to cancer.
44	3. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity
45	and mortality rates relating to HIV/AIDS.
46	4. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity
47	and mortality rates relating to cardiovascular disease.
48	5. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in morbidity
49	and mortality rates relating to diabetes.
50	6. Increasing adult and child immunization rates in
51	certain racial and ethnic populations.
52	7. Decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in oral health
53	care.
54	Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 466.006, Florida
55	Statutes, is amended to read:
56	466.006 Examination of dentists.--
57	(2) An applicant shall be entitled to take the
58	examinations required in this section to practice dentistry in
59	this state if the applicant:
60	(a) Is 18 years of age or older.
61	(b)1.Is a graduate of a dental school accredited by the
62	Commission on Accreditation of the American Dental Association
63	or its successor agency, if any, or any other nationally
64	recognized accrediting agency; or.
65	2. Is a dental student in the final year of such an
66	accredited school who has completed all the coursework necessary
67	to prepare him or her to perform the clinical and diagnostic
68	procedures required to pass the examinations. With respect to a
69	dental student in his or her final year of dental school, a
70	passing score on the examinations is valid for 180 days after
71	the date the examinations were completed. A dental school
72	student who takes the licensure examinations during his or her
73	final year of an approved dental school must have graduated
74	before being certified for licensure pursuant to s. 466.011.
75	(c) Has successfully completed the National Board of
76	Dental Examiners dental examination within 10 years beforeof
77	the date of application.
78	Section 4. Section 466.0065, Florida Statutes, is created
79	to read:
80	466.0065 Regional licensure examinations.--
81	(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that schools of
82	dentistry be allowed to offer regional licensure examinations to
83	dental students who are in the final year of an approved dental
84	school for the sole purpose of facilitating the student's
85	licensing in other jurisdictions. This section does not allow a
86	person to be licensed as a dentist in this state without taking
87	the examinations as set forth in s. 466.006, nor does this
88	section mean that regional examinations administered under this
89	section may be substituted for complying with testing
90	requirements under s. 466.006.
91	(2) Each school of dentistry in this state which is
92	accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American
93	Dental Association or its successor agency may, upon written
94	approval by the Board of Dentistry, offer regional licensure
95	examinations only to dental students in the final year of an
96	approved dental school, if the board has approved the hosting
97	school's submitted written plan to comply with the following
98	conditions:
99	(a) The examining body must be a member of the American
100	Association of Dental Examiners.
101	(b) The student must have successfully completed parts I
102	and II of the National Board of Dental Examiners examination
103	within 2 years before taking the regional examination.
104	(c) The student must possess medical malpractice insurance
105	in amounts that the board determines to be sufficient to cover
106	any reasonably foreseeable incident of harm to a patient during
107	the clinical portion of the regional examination.
108	(d) At least one of the examination monitors must be a
109	Florida-licensed dentist who has completed all necessary
110	standardization exercises required by the regional examination
111	body.
112	(e) Adequate arrangements must be made, when necessary,
113	for patients who require followup care as a result of procedures
114	performed during the clinical portion of the regional
115	examination.
116	(f) The board chair or the chair's designee must be
117	allowed to observe testing while it is in progress.
118	(g) Each student, upon applying to take the regional
119	examination, must receive written disclosure in at least 12-
120	point boldface type which states: "This examination does not
121	meet the licensure requirements of chapter 466, Florida
122	Statutes, for licensure in the State of Florida. Persons wishing
123	to practice dentistry in Florida must pass the Florida licensure
124	examinations. For more information on Florida's licensure
125	examination procedures, please contact the Florida Board of
126	Dentistry."
127	(h) The student must be enrolled as a dental student in
128	his or her final year of an approved dental school that is
129	accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American
130	Dental Association or its successor agency.
131	(i) The student must have completed all the coursework
132	necessary to prepare him or her to perform all clinical and
133	diagnostic procedures required to pass the regional examination.
134	(j) The student's academic record must not include any
135	evidence suggesting that the student poses an unreasonable risk
136	to any live patients who are required for the clinical portion
137	of the regional examination. In order to protect the health and
138	safety of the residents of this state, the board may request
139	additional information and documents pertaining to the
140	candidate's mental and physical health in order to fully assess
141	the candidate's fitness to engage in exercises involving a live
142	patient.
143	(3) Neither a student who takes the examination pursuant
144	to this section, nor a dental school submitting a plan pursuant
145	to this section, nor a regional examination body which a dental
146	school proposed to host pursuant to this section has standing to
147	assert that a state agency has taken action for which a hearing
148	may be sought under ss. 120.569 and 120.57.
149	Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.