AN ACT ALLOWING DENTAL HYGIENISTS TO PROVIDE DENTAL HYGIENE SERVICES IN PRIVATE RESIDENCES.

House of Representatives
sHB5303 / File No. 96 1

General Assembly File No. 96
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5303

House of Representatives, March 19, 2026

The Committee on Aging reported through REP. GARIBAY of
the 60th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the
House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT ALLOWING DENTAL HYGIENISTS TO PROVIDE DENTAL
HYGIENE SERVICES IN PRIVATE RESIDENCES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 20 -126l of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
(a) As used in this section: 3
(1) "General supervision of a licensed dentist" means supervision that 4
authorizes dental hygiene procedures to be performed with the 5
knowledge of said licensed dentist, whether or not the dentist is on the 6
premises when such procedures are being performed; 7
(2) "Public health facility" means an institution, as defined in section 8
19a-490, a community health center, a group home, a school, a preschool 9
operated by a local or regional board of education, a head start program 10
or a program offered or sponsored by the federal Special Supplemental 11
Food Program for Women, Infants and Children, a senior center or a 12
managed residential community, as defined in section 19a -693, a 13
licensed child care center, as described in section 19a-77, or a temporary 14
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dental clinic, as defined in section 20-126c; 15
(3) The "practice of dental hygiene" means the performance of 16
educational, preventive and therapeutic services including: Complete 17
prophylaxis; the removal of calcareous deposits, accretions and stains 18
from the supragingival and subgingival surfaces of the teeth by scaling, 19
root planing and polishing; the application of pit and fissure sealants 20
and topical solutions to exposed portions of the teeth; dental hygiene 21
examinations and the charting of oral conditions; dental hygiene 22
assessment, treatment planning and evaluation; the administration of 23
local anesthesia in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of 24
this section; taking alginate impressions of teeth, under the indirect 25
supervision of a dentist, for use in study models, orthodontic 26
appliances, whitening trays, mouth guards and fabrication of temporary 27
crowns; and collaboration in the implementation of the oral health care 28
regimen; and 29
(4) "Contact hour" means a minimum of fifty minutes of continuing 30
education activity. 31
(b) No person shall engage in the practice of dental hygiene unless 32
such person (1) has a dental hygiene license issued by the Department 33
of Public Health and (A) is practicing under the general supervision of 34
a licensed dentist, or (B) has been practicing as a licensed dental 35
hygienist for at least two years, is practicing in a public health facility or 36
private residence and complies with the requirements of subsection (e) 37
of this section, or (2) has a dental license. 38
(c) A dental hygienist licensed under sections 20 -126h to 20 -126w, 39
inclusive, shall be known as a "dental hygienist" and no other person 40
shall assume such title or use the abbreviation "R.D.H." or any other 41
words, letters or figures which indicate that the person using such 42
words, letters or figures is a licensed dental hygienist. Any person who 43
employs or permits any other person except a licensed dental hygienist 44
to practice dental hygiene shall be subject to the penalties provided in 45
section 20-126t. 46
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(d) A licensed dental hygienist may administer local anesthesia, 47
limited to infiltration and mandibular blocks, under the indirect 48
supervision of a licensed dentist, provided the dental hygienist can 49
demonstrate successful completion of a course of instruction containing 50
basic and current concepts of local anesthesia and pain control in a 51
program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, or its 52
successor organization, that includes: (1) Twenty hours of didactic 53
training, including, but not limited to, the psychology of pain 54
management; a review of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology of 55
anesthetic agents, emergency precautions and management, and client 56
management; instruction on the safe and effective administration of 57
anesthetic agents; and (2) eight hours of clinical training which includes 58
the direct observation of the performance of procedures. For purposes 59
of this subsection, "indirect supervision" means a licensed dentist 60
authorizes and prescribes the use of local anesthesia for a patient and 61
remains in the dental office or other location where the services are 62
being performed by the dental hygienist. 63
(e) A licensed dental hygienist shall not perform the following dental 64
services: (1) Diagnosis for dental procedures or dental treatment; (2) the 65
cutting or removal of any hard or soft tissue or suturing; (3) the 66
prescribing of drugs or medication which require the written or oral 67
order of a licensed dentist or physician; (4) the administration of 68
parenteral, inhalation or general anesthetic agents in connection with 69
any dental operative procedure; (5) the taking of any impression of the 70
teeth or jaws or the relationship of the teeth or jaws for the purpose of 71
fabricating any appliance or prosthesis; (6) the placing, finishing and 72
adjustment of temporary or final restorations, capping materials and 73
cement bases. 74
(f) Each dental hygienist practicing in a public health facility or 75
private residence shall (1) refer for treatment any patient with needs 76
outside the dental hygienist's scope of practice, and (2) coordinate such 77
referral for treatment to dentists licensed pursuant to chapter 379. 78
(g) Each licensed dental hygienist applying for license renewal shall 79
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earn a minimum of sixteen contact hours of continuing education within 80
the preceding twenty -four-month period, including, for registration 81
periods beginning on and after October 1, 2016, at least one contact hour 82
of training or education in infection control in a dental setting and, for 83
registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2017, at least one 84
contact hour of training or education in cultural competency. The 85
subject matter for continuing education shall reflect the professional 86
needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public. 87
Continuing education activities shall provide significant theoretical or 88
practical content directly related to clinical or scientific aspects of dental 89
hygiene. Qualifying continuing education activities include, but are not 90
limited to, courses, including on -line courses, that are offered or 91
approved by dental schools and other institutions of higher education 92
that are accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental 93
Accreditation, a regional accrediting organization, the American Dental 94
Association, a state, district or local dental association or society 95
affiliated with the American Dental Association, the National Dental 96
Association, the American Dental Hygienists Association or a state, 97
district or local dental hygiene association or society affiliated with the 98
American Dental Hygienists Association, the Academy of General 99
Dentistry, the Academy of Dental Hygiene, the American Red Cross or 100
the American Heart Association when sponsoring programs in 101
cardiopulmonary resuscitation or cardiac life support, the United States 102
Department of Veterans Affairs and armed forces of the United States 103
when conducting programs at United States governmental facilities, a 104
hospital or other health care institution, agencies or businesses whose 105
programs are accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental 106
Accreditation, local, state or national medical associations, or a state or 107
local health department. Eight hours of volunteer dental practice at a 108
public health facility, as defined in subsection (a) of this section, may be 109
substituted for one contact hour of continuing education, up to a 110
maximum of five contact hours in one two -year period. Activities that 111
do not qualify toward meeting these requirements include professional 112
organizational business meetings, speeches delivered at luncheons or 113
banquets, and the reading of books, articles, or professional journals. 114
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(h) Each licensee applying for license renewal pursuant to section 115
19a-88, except a licensee applying for a license renewal for the first time, 116
shall sign a statement attesting that he or she has satisfied the continuing 117
education requirements described in subsection (g) of this section on a 118
form prescribed by the department. Each licensee shall retain records of 119
attendance or certificates of completion that demonstrate compliance 120
with the continuing education requirements described in subsection (g) 121
of this section for not less than three years following the date on which 122
the continuing education was completed or the license was renewed. 123
Each licensee shall submit such records to the department for inspection 124
not later than forty-five days after a request by the department for such 125
records. A licensee who fails to comply with the provisions of this 126
section may be subject to disciplinary action pursuant to section 20-126o. 127
(i) In individual cases involving medical disability or illness, the 128
Commissioner of Public Health may grant a waiver of the continuing 129
education requirements or an extension of time within which to fulfill 130
the requirements of this subsection to any licensee, provided the 131
licensee submits to the Department of Public Health an application for 132
waiver or extension of time on a form prescribed by the commissioner, 133
along with a certification by a licensed physician, a licensed physician 134
assistant or a licensed advanced practice registered nurse of the 135
disability or illness and such other documentation as may be required 136
by the commissioner. The commissioner may grant a waiver or 137
extension for a period not to exceed one registration period, except the 138
commissioner may grant additional waivers or extensions if the medical 139
disability or illness upon which a waiver or extension is granted 140
continues beyond the period of the waiver or extension and the licensee 141
applies for an additional waiver or extension. 142
(j) A licensee who is not engaged in active professional practice, in 143
any form, during a registration period shall be exempt from the 144
continuing education requirements, provided the licensee submits a 145
notarized application for exemption on a form prescribed by the 146
commissioner prior to the end of the registration period. A licensee who 147
is exempt under the provisions of this subsection may not engage in 148
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professional practice until the licensee has met the continuing education 149
requirements of this section. 150
(k) A licensee whose license has become void pursuant to section 19a-151
88 and who applies to the department for reinstatement of such license, 152
shall: (1) Submit evidence of completion of a minimum of twenty -four 153
contact hours of qualifying continuing education, as described in 154
subsection (g) of this section, during the two -year period immediately 155
preceding the application for reinstatement; or (2) for an applicant who 156
has not been in the active practice of dental hygiene for more than two 157
years, submit evidence of successful completion of the National Board 158
Dental Hygiene Examination, the North East Regional Board of Dental 159
Examiners Examination in Dental Hygiene or a refresher course 160
approved by the department during the one-year period immediately 161
preceding the application for reinstatement. 162
(l) No provision of this chapter shall be construed to prohibit a 163
student of dental hygiene enrolled in a dental hygiene program, as 164
described in section 20-126i, from performing dental hygiene work as a 165
required component of his or her course of study in such program, 166
provided the student (1) performs such work under the direct 167
supervision of a dentist licensed pursuant to chapter 379 or a dental 168
hygienist licensed pursuant to this chapter, (2) shall not hold himself or 169
herself out as a licensed dental hygienist, and (3) shall not receive 170
compensation for such work. 171
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 20-126l

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
The entire statute was amended rather than separate subsections for
clarification and context.

AGE Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill allows certain dental hygienists to provide services in private
residences without a dentist’s general supervision, resulting in no fiscal
impact to the state or municipalities.

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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5303

AN ACT ALLOWING DENTAL HYGIENISTS TO PROVIDE DENTAL
HYGIENE SERVICES IN PRIVATE RESIDENCES.

SUMMARY
This bill allows dental hygienists who have been practicing for at
least two years to provide dental hygiene services, without a dentist’s
general supervision, in private residences. Current law already allows
hygienists to do this in public health facilities (e.g., hospitals, residential
care homes, and senior centers).
As under existing law for dental hygienists practicing in public health
facilities, the bill requires those practicing in private residences to refer
a patient to a licensed dentist if the patient’s needs exceed the hygienist’s
scope of practice (see BACKGROUND).
As under existing law, dental hygienists practicing without a
dentist’s supervision may not perform certain dental services, such as
making a diagnosis for dental procedures or treatment; cutting or
removing any hard or soft tissue; prescribing medications ; taking teeth
or jaw impressions; or placing or adjusting final restorations, capping
materials, or cement bases.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
BACKGROUND
Dental Hygienist Scope of Practice
By law, dental hygienists may provide educational, preventative, and
therapeutic services. These services include completing a prophylaxis;
removing calcium deposits, accretions, and stains; applying pit and
fissure sealants and topical solutions to expose d parts of teeth; and
dental hygiene exams, including hygiene assessments, treatment plans,
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and charting oral conditions. Under certain circumstances, they may
also take alginate impressions of teeth and administer local anesthesia.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Aging Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 14 Nay 0 (03/05/2026)