Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A.
Definitions beginning with the letter "A":
(1)
"Act" means the Dental
Health Care Act, Sections
61-5A-1 through
61-5A-29, NMSA 1978.
(2)
"Assessment" means the
review and documentation of the oral condition, and the recognition and
documentation of deviations from the healthy condition, without a diagnosis to
determine the cause or nature of disease or its treatment.
(3)
"Authorization" means
written or verbal permission from a dentist to a dental hygienist, dental
assistant, dental therapist, community dental health coordinator, expanded
function dental auxiliary, or dental student to provide specific tests,
treatments or regimes of care.
B.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "B":
C.
Definitions beginning with the letter "C":
(1)
"CDCA/WREB/CITA" means the
commission of dental competency assessments, the western regional examining
board and the council of interstate testing agencies; a separate and
independent entity not including any successor, which acts as a representative
agent for the board and committee in providing written and clinical
examinations to test the applicant's competence to practice in New
Mexico.
(2)
"CITA"
means the council of interstate testing agencies, a separate and independent
entity not including any successor, which acts as a representative agent for
the board and committee in providing written and clinical examinations to test
the applicant's competence to practice in New Mexico.
(3)
"Close personal supervision"
means a New Mexico licensed dentist directly observes, instructs and certifies
in writing the training and expertise of New Mexico licensed or certified
employees or staff.
(4)
"Consulting dentists" means a dentist who has entered into an
approved agreement to provide consultation and create protocols with a
collaborating dental hygienist and, when required, to provide diagnosis and
authorization for services, in accordance with the rules of the board and the
committee.
(5)
"CRDTS"
means the central regional dental testing service, a separate and independent
entity not including any successor, which acts as a representative agent for
the board and committee in providing written and clinical examinations to test
the applicant's competence to practice in New Mexico.
(6)
"Current patients of record"
means the New Mexico licensed dentist has seen the patient in the practice in
the last 12 months.
D.
Definitions beginning with the letter "D":
(1)
"Dental hygiene-focused
assessment" means the documentation of existing oral and relevant
systemic conditions and the identification of potential oral disease to
develop, communicate, implement and evaluate a plan of oral hygiene care and
treatment.
(2)
"Dental
record" means electronic, photographic, radiographic or manually written
records.
(3)
"Diagnosis" means the identification or determination of the
nature or cause of disease or condition.
(4)
"Direct supervision" means
the process under which an act is performed when a dentist licensed pursuant to
the Dental Health Care Act:
(a) is physically
present throughout the performance of the act;
(b) orders, controls and accepts full
professional responsibility for the act performed;
(c) evaluates and approves the procedure
performed before the patient departs the care setting; and
(d) is capable of responding immediately if
any emergency should arise.
(5)
"Disqualifying criminal
conviction" means a conviction for a crime that is job-related for the
position in question and consistent with business necessity.
E.
Definitions beginning
with the letter "E":
(1)
"Electronic signature" means an electronic sound, symbol or process
attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a
person with the intent to sign the record.
(2)
"Extenuating circumstances"
are defined as a serious, physician-verified illness or death in immediate
family, or military service. The extenuating circumstances must be presented
for the board's consideration on a case-by-case basis.
F.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "F":
[RESERVED]
G.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "G":
"General supervision" means the authorization
by a dentist of the procedures to be used by a dental hygienist, dental
assistant, expanded function dental auxiliary, dental student, dental
therapist, or community dental health coordinator and the execution of the
procedures in accordance with a dentist's diagnosis and treatment plan at a
time the dentist is not physically present and in facilities as designated by
the rules of the board.
H.
Definitions beginning with the letter "H":
[RESERVED]
I.
Definitions beginning
with the letter "I":
(1)
"Impaired Act" means the Impaired Dentists and Dental Hygienists
Act, Sections
61-5B-1 through
61-5B-11 NMSA 1978.
(2)
"Indirect supervision" means
that a dentist, or in certain settings a dental hygienist or dental assistant
certified in expanded functions, is present in the treatment facility while
authorized treatments are being performed by a dental hygienist, dental
assistant, dental therapist, or dental student as defined in 61-5A-3 NMSA
1978.
J.
Definitions beginning with the letter "J":
"Jurisprudence
exam" means the examination given regarding the laws, rules and
regulations, which relate to the practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, dental
therapy and dental assisting in the state of New Mexico.
K.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "K":
L.
Definitions beginning with the letter "L": "Licensee" means an
individual who holds a valid license to practice dentistry, dental therapy or
dental hygiene in New Mexico. This also includes non-dentist owners who are
licensed in New Mexico.
M.
Definitions beginning with the letter "M":
"Mobile dental
facility" means a facility in which dentistry is practiced and that is
routinely towed, moved or transported from one location to another.
N.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "N":
(1)
"NERB/CDCA" means the former north east regional board of dental
examiners, now called the commission of dental competency assessments, a
separate and independent entity not including any successor, which acts as a
representative agent for the board and committee in providing written and
clinical examinations to test the applicant's competence to practice in New
Mexico.
(2)
"Non-dentist
owner" means an individual not licensed as a dentist in New Mexico or a
corporate entity not owned by a majority interest of a New Mexico licensed
dentist that employs or contracts with a dentist or dental hygienist to provide
dental or dental hygiene services and that does not meet an exemption status as
detailed in Subsection G of Section
61-5A-5 NMSA
1978.
O.
Definitions beginning with the letter "O":
[RESERVED]
P.
Definitions beginning with the letter "P":
(1)
"Palliative procedures"
means nonsurgical, reversible procedures that are meant to alleviate pain and
stabilize acute or emergent problems.
(2)
"Portable dental unit" means
a non-facility in which dental equipment used in the practice of dentistry is
transported to and used on a temporary basis at an out-of-office
location.
(3)
"Professional
background service" means a board designated professional background
service, which compiles background information regarding an applicant from
multiple sources.
(4)
"Protective patient stabilization" means any manual method,
physical or mechanical device, material, or equipment that immobilizes or
reduces the ability of a patient to move his or her arms, legs, body, or head
freely.
(5)
"Provider"
means a provider of dental health care services, including but not limited to
dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, community dental health
coordinators and dental assistants, including expanded function dental
auxiliaries.
Q.
Definitions beginning with the letter "Q":
[RESERVED]
R.
Definitions beginning
with the letter "R":
[RESERVED]
S.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "S":
(1)
"Specialist" means a specialty is an area of dentistry that has
been formally recognized by the board and the American dental association as
meeting the specified requirements for recognition of dental
specialists.
(2)
"SRTA" means the southern regional testing agency, a separate and
independent entity not including any successor, which acts as a representative
agent for the board and committee in providing written and clinical
examinations to test the applicant's competence to practice in New
Mexico.
(3)
"Supervising
dentist" means a dentist that maintains the records of a patient, is
responsible for their care, has reviewed their current medical history and for
purposes of authorization, has examined that patient within the previous 11
months or will examine that patient within 30 days of giving
authorization.
(4)
"Supervision" means the dentist shall adequately monitor the
performance of all personnel, licensed or unlicensed, that he or she
supervises. The dentist is ultimately responsible for quality patient care and
may be held accountable for all services provided by administrative and
clinical individuals that the dentist supervises.
T.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "T":
(1)
"Teledentistry" means a dentist's, dental hygienist's or dental
therapist's use of electronic information, imaging and communication
technologies, including interactive audio, video and data communications as
well as store-and-forward technologies, to provide and support dental health
care delivery, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, transfer of dental data and
education."
(2)
"Third Party
payer" means an organization other than the patient (1st party) or the
health care provider (2nd party) involved in the financing of personal health
services.
U.
Definitions beginning with the letter "U":
[RESERVED]
V.
Definitions beginning
with the letter "V":
[RESERVED]
W.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "W":
(1)
"WREB"
means the western regional examining board, which acts as the representative
agent for the board and committee in providing written and clinical
examinations to test the applicant's competence to practice in New
Mexico.
(2)
"Written
authorization" means a signed and dated prescription from a supervising
dentist to provide specific tests, treatments or regimes of care in a specified
location for 30 days following the date of signature.
X.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "X":
[RESERVED]
Y.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "Y":
[RESERVED]
Z.
Definitions beginning with the
letter "Z":
[RESERVED]
