N.J. Admin. Code § 13:30-1A.5

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 13:30-1A.5 - Administration of local anesthesia by licensed dental hygienists

(a) A licensed dental hygienist may administer local anesthesia if the minimum standards of training and procedure set forth in this section are followed. For purposes of this section "local anesthesia" is defined as the elimination of sensation, especially pain, in the oral cavity by the regional injection of an anesthetic agent.

(b) No licensed dental hygienist shall administer local anesthesia unless he or she possesses a local anesthesia permit issued by the Board of Dentistry.

(c) A licensed dental hygienist who has been issued a permit to administer local anesthesia may do so only under the direct supervision of a New Jersey licensed dentist who shall determine which anesthetic agent shall be administered by the hygienist and for which procedures the anesthetic agent shall be utilized, consistent with the following:

1. The licensed hygienist may administer supraperiosteal (infiltration), periodontal ligament (PDL, intraligamentary), intraseptal and block anesthesia except as provided in (c)1i below.

i. The licensed dental hygienist shall not administer a maxillary (second division, V2) nerve block via the high tuberosity approach or the greater palatine approach; and

2. The licensed hygienist may administer local anesthetic reversal agents approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the American Dental Association, as determined by the dentist.

(d) A licensed dental hygienist applying for a Board permit to administer local anesthesia shall satisfy the following requirements:

1. Successful completion of a Board-approved course in the administration of local anesthesia offered in a dental hygiene program approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, or in an accredited college or university, teaching hospital or other training institution or facility approved pursuant to 45:6-2.

i. The course outline, content and objectives, and curriculum vitae of course instructors shall be submitted to the Board for review and approval.

ii. The course shall include instruction in: head and neck anatomy; pharmacology of anesthetic and analgesic agents, including appropriate and efficacious injection techniques and minimum and maximum dosages; administration of reversal agents; patient pre-evaluation, including medical and dental history considerations; recognition of adverse events, emergency procedures and basic life support; and selection of appropriate armamentarium, agents and techniques.

iii. The course shall consist of 20 hours of didactic training and 12 hours of clinical training. The clinical training shall include 25 monitored administrations of local anesthesia, including all types of blocks set forth in (c)1 above; and

2. Passage of the written examination in the administration of local anesthesia administered by the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA).

(e) A licensed dental hygienist who holds a permit to administer local anesthesia under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist shall complete four hours of continuing education in the administration of local anesthesia in every other biennial renewal period (that is, four hours every four years), consistent with the requirements at N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.2.

(f) The administration of local anesthesia by a licensed dental hygienist without a permit shall constitute a deviation from normal standards of practice required of a licensee.

(g) A licensed dental hygienist who administers local anesthesia without a permit and without direct supervision shall be deemed to be engaging in the unauthorized practice of dental hygiene and professional misconduct and shall be subject to the penalties set forth in N.J.S.A. 45:6-58, 45:1-22, and 45:1-25.

(h) A licensed dentist who permits a licensed dental hygienist to administer local anesthesia without a permit or without direct supervision shall be subject to the penalties set forth in 45:1-25 and shall be deemed to have engaged in willful and gross malpractice or willful and gross neglect in the practice of dentistry pursuant to 45:6-62.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:30-1A.5

Reserved by 48 N.J.R. 714(b), effective 5/2/2016

Recodified from 13:30-1A.3 by 48 N.J.R. 1462(b), effective 7/18/2016

Amended by 50 N.J.R. 1282(a), effective 5/21/2018

Amended by 53 N.J.R. 619(c), effective 4/19/2021