Allowable Duties Under General Supervison

The following community dental health coordinator procedures are allowable under general supervision as set forth in 16.5.54.8 NMAC: A. take a complete health and dental history; B. expose and develop necessary radiographs as ordered by the supervising dentist or as established in protocol by a supervising dentist; C. observe and transmit patient data through teledentistry means to a dentist; D. place temporary and sedative restorative materials in unexcavated carious lesions and unprepared tooth fractures; E. transmit prescription or medication orders on the direct order of a dentist; F. CDHC may provide the following limited palliative procedures: (1) application of hot/cold compresses to the face or mouth; (2) instruct patient in the uses of various rinses containing salt, sodium bicarbonate, chlorhexidine, etc. as ordered by the dentist; (3) instruct patients as to the proper use and dosage of over the counter or prescribed medications recommended by the supervising dentists; (4) place avulsed teeth in the proper preservation solution for transport to a dentist; (5) apply pressure compresses to intraoral wounds; (6) performance of any other palliative procedures as directly instructed by the supervising dentist, and within the scope of practice of the CDHC; (7) instruct the patient on brushing, flossing, gingival massage or cleaning for gingival inflammation or infection; G. patient and community education on an individual basis or with groups within the community to improve dental health and dental health awareness; H. act as an advocate for patients and the community in accessing dental care; and I. rubber cup coronal polishing, which is not to be represented as a prophylaxis, topical application of fluorides; application of pit and fissure sealants when previously authorized by the supervising dentist or dental hygienist and cavitation of the enamel is not present.