Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed SB into law today expanding remote supervision for dental hygienists.

Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association (VDHA) and Virginia Dental Association (VDA) worked together for several months to expand remote supervision of Registered Dental Hygienists to new settings (health clinics, schools, nursing homes, etc.) to serve more patients.

A three-year pilot study of remote supervision of dental hygienists employed by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) began in 2009 and proved to be a highly successful model in prevention and improving access to care. SB 712 expands the Remote Supervision Public Health Model for the dental hygienist employed outside of VDH. Expanding the model allows more patients access to care by the oral health team, including opportunity for important referrals to the supervising dentist.