KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

HB1991 • 2026

Dentists and Dentistry

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 63, Chapter 5, relative to dental professions.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Hill, Massey
Last action
2026-04-20
Official status
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Dentists and Dentistry

ON APRIL 15, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1, #2, AND #3 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1926, AS AMENDED.

What This Bill Does

  • ON APRIL 15, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1, #2, AND #3 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1926, AS AMENDED.
  • AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize a dental hygienist working under the supervision of a dentist to complete diagnostic radiographs; assess and record existing hard and soft tissue data; perform prophylaxis on new or existing patients; and apply fluoride agents.
  • The dental hygienist may take such actions prior to a dentist seeing a new or existing patient.
  • This amendment provides that the practice of dental hygiene includes, in addition to existing provisions in present law, prescriptive authority limited to fluoride agents, topical anesthetic agents, silver diamine fluoride, curodont, sealants, and desicc ation therapy that are not controlled substances and do not require a license from the federal drug enforcement agency.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB1991

Plain English: House Health 1 Amendment No.

  • House Health 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to HB1991 Terry Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1926* House Bill No.
  • 1991 HA0950 016722 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1926

Plain English: Senate Health and Welfare 1 Amendment No.

  • Senate Health and Welfare 1 Amendment No.
  • 1 to SB1926 Crowe Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1926* House Bill No.
  • 1991 SA0972 013563 - 1 - by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1.
Amendment 2-0 to SB1926

Plain English: Senate Health and Welfare 2 Amendment No.

  • Senate Health and Welfare 2 Amendment No.
  • 2 to SB1926 Crowe Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1926* House Bill No.
  • 1991 SA0973 015904 - 1 - by deleting "July 1, 2026" in SECTION 4 and substituting "January 1, 2027".
Amendment 3-0 to SB1926

Plain English: Amendment No.

  • Amendment No.
  • 3 to SB1926 Massey Signature of Sponsor AMEND Senate Bill No.
  • 1926* House Bill No.
  • 1991 SA1040 017364 - 1 - by deleting SECTION 1 and substituting: SECTION 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026

  2. 2026-04-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/20/2026

  3. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  4. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 1

  5. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 3 - SA1040)

  6. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 2 - SA0973)

  7. 2026-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0972)

  8. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2026

  9. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1

  11. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/31/2026

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee

  14. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 4/1/2026

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  17. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final calendar of Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  18. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/18/2026

  19. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  20. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  22. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  23. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  24. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  25. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  26. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Health Committee

  27. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  28. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  29. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  30. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  31. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  32. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 15, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED
AMENDMENTS #1, #2, AND #3 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1926, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize a dental hygienist working under the supervision of a dentist to complete diagnostic radiographs; assess and record existing hard and soft tissue data; perform prophylaxis on new or existing patients;
and apply fluoride agents. The dental hygienist may take such actions prior to a dentist seeing a new or existing patient.

This amendment provides that the practice of dental hygiene includes, in addition to existing provisions in present law, prescriptive authority limited to fluoride agents, topical anesthetic agents, silver diamine fluoride, curodont, sealants, and desicc
ation therapy that are not controlled substances and do not require a license from the federal drug enforcement agency.

RULEMAKING

This amendment authorizes the board of dentistry to determine by rule the educational and training requirements necessary for a dental hygienist to exercise the prescriptive authority in this amendment. Such requirements must include a training course f
or the placement of silver diamine fluoride.

EFFECTIVE DATE

For the purposes of promulgating rules, this amendment takes effect upon becoming a law. For all other purposes this amendment takes effect on July 1, 2026.

AMENDMENT #2 changes the effective date of the bill, for all purposes other than rulemaking, from July 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027.

AMENDMENT #3 requires a dental hygienist to be working under the direct supervision of a dentist seeing a new patient before (i) completing diagnostic radiographs; (ii) assessing and recording existing hard and soft tissue data; (iii) performing prophyla
xis; and (iv) applying fluoride agents. However, for existing patients, a dental hygienist may perform any such actions under only the general supervision of the dentist.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1926
By Massey

HOUSE BILL 1991
By Hill
HB1991
011479
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and
Title 63, Chapter 5, relative to dental professions.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-5-106, is amended by adding the
following to the end of the section:
Copies of the annual report may be provided in electronic format.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.