Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly

Tennessee HB1991: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and Title 63, Chapter 5, relative to dental professions.

Status: Chaptered, May 27, 2026

Fiscal Summary NOT SIGNIFICANT Bill Summary ON APRIL 15, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1, #2, AND #3 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1926, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, authorize a dental hygienist working under the supervision of a dentist to complete diagnostic radiographs; assess and record existing hard and soft tissue data; perform prophylaxis on new or existing patients; and apply fluoride agents. The dental hygienist may take such actions prior to a dentist seeing a new or existing patient. This amendment provides that the practice of dental hygiene includes, in addition to existing provisions in present law, prescriptive authority limited to fluoride agents, topical anesthetic agents, silver diamine fluoride, curodont, sealants, and desiccation therapy that are not controlled substances and do not require a license from the federal drug enforcement agency. RULEMAKING This amendment authorizes the board of dentistry to determine by rule the educational and training requirements necessary for a dental hygienist to exercise the prescriptive authority in this amendment. Such requirements must include a training course for the placement of silver diamine fluoride. EFFECTIVE DATE For the purposes of promulgating rules, this amendment takes effect upon becoming a law. For all other purposes this amendment takes effect on July 1, 2026. AMENDMENT #2 changes the effective date of the bill, for all purposes other than rulemaking, from July 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027. AMENDMENT #3 requires a dental hygienist to be working under the direct supervision of a dentist seeing a new patient before (i) completing diagnostic radiographs; (ii) assessing and recording existing hard and soft tissue data; (iii) performing prophylaxis; and (iv) applying fluoride agents. However, for existing pati