DENTAL SPECIALTY LICENSES                                                                      H.B. 4067:

                                                                              SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL

                                                                                                         IN COMMITTEE

House Bill 4067 (as passed by the House)

Sponsor:  Representative Ben Frederick

House Committee:  Health Policy

Senate Committee:  Health Policy and Human Services

Date Completed:  3-18-21

CONTENT

The bill would amend Part 166 (Dentistry) of the Public Health Code to expand the list of specialty fields for which the Board of Dentistry may issue a health professional specialty license to a dentist.

Under Part 166, the Board of Dentistry may issue a health profession specialty license to a dentist who has advanced training beyond that required for initial licensure and who has demonstrated competency through examination or other evaluative processes in one or more certain health profession specialty fields. The bill would include in the specified health profession specialty fields the following: oral medicine, orofacial pain, dental public health, oral and maxillofacial radiology, and dental anesthesiology.

Part 166 restricts the use of certain words, title, and letters to only those people authorized to use them. The bill also would include "oral and maxillofacial radiologist", dental anesthesiologist", "oral medicine doctor", "public health dentist", and "orofacial pain specialist" among those protected words, titles, and letters.   

The bill would take effect 180 days after its enactment.

MCL 333.16605 & 333.16608                                   Legislative Analyst:  Stephen Jackson

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill likely would not have a significant fiscal impact on State government or local units of government. The additional specialties would result in a minor increase in revenue collected from associated application and renewal fees. As of February 2021, the fee schedule for existing specialties is based on the time until the individual's next dentist license renewal date:

Time Until Renewal of Dentist License	Fee
0-12 months	$45.90
13-24 months	$66.30
25-36 months	$86.70

These fees would be deposited in the Health Professions Regulatory Fund. The costs associated with processing additional licenses likely would be adequately covered by existing appropriations. However, the overall fiscal impact of the added specialties on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs is indeterminate.

                                                                           Fiscal Analyst:  Elizabeth Raczkowski

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.