Dental hygienists would be allowed to provide certain services to adults in health care facilities under a bill heard by the Health and Human Services Committee Feb. 1.<\/p>\n
LB484, introduced by Wilber Sen. Russ Karpisek, would allow a licensed dental hygienist with 3,000 hours of clinical experience to provide services to adults in a health care facility. Those service would include:
\n\u2022 oral prophylaxis;
\n\u2022 pulp vitality testing; and
\n\u2022 preventive measures, including the application of fluorides, sealants and other recognized topical agents for oral disease prevention.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill will broaden and extend badly needed dental care to thousands of Nebraskans who do not receive it on a regular basis, and would do so through a modest resource and an efficient cost,\u201d Karpisek said.<\/p>\n
Jane Broekemeier, a member of the Nebraska Dental Hygienists\u2019 Association, testified in support of the bill. Studies have shown that maintaining a nursing home patient\u2019s oral hygiene can prevent them from aspirating, she said, which could reduce resident hospital admissions.<\/p>\n
Deb Schardt, a dental hygienist in Hastings, testified in support of the bill, saying there are 830,000 emergency room visits nationwide that result from dental problems. Lack of access to health care is a critical issue and dental hygienists must play a vital role in the solution to such disparities, she said.<\/p>\n
No one testified in opposition and the committee took no immediate action on the bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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