New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 13 - LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY
Chapter 30 - NEW JERSEY BOARD OF DENTISTRY
Subchapter 1A - DENTAL HYGIENISTS
Section 13:30-1A.5 - Administration of local anesthesia by licensed dental hygienists
Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024
(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:
(d) A licensed dental hygienist applying for a Board permit to administer local anesthesia shall satisfy the following requirements:
(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.