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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 4, April 6, 2021

ADEA Advocacy in Action
This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.
 
Issues and Resources
 • NHSC Service Loan Repayment Program user guide [ [link removed] ] and application portal [ [link removed] ]
 • ADEA memo [ [link removed] ] regarding vaccines at the state level
 • NIH funding opportunity [ [link removed] ] "Understanding and Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination on Minority Health and Health Disparities"
 • NIDCR funding opportunity [ [link removed] ] "Behavioral and Social Intervention Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Cooperative Agreement"
 • For a full list of ADEA memos and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

North Carolina Bill Would Create Standards for the Practice of Teledentistry
 
On March 31, the North Carolina Senate passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that would create a new section of code to regulate the practice of teledentistry. Under the bill:
 • A licensed dentist or a licensed dental hygienist who is under the supervision of a licensed dentist would be permitted to provide teledentistry services.
 • The transmission of data is authorized by dentists, dental hygienists, patient and authorized persons that include electronic images, and related information as appropriate to provide teledentistry services.
 • When a service is between patient and provider, the location of the patient is the originating site and the location of the provider is the distant site.
 • When a service is between providers and conducted for the purposes of consultation, the location of the provider initiating the consult is the originating site and the location of the consulting provider is the distant site.
 • Appropriate steps must be taken to establish the licensee-patient relationship.
 • Informed consent must be obtained from patients, and specified guidelines for obtaining that consent must be followed.
 • The dental board is permitted to take disciplinary action against licensees who allow fee-splitting in the provision of teledentistry services or who limit a patient’s ability to file a grievance with any appropriate oversight body.

The bill also makes several additional changes for dental hygienists:
 • Dental hygienists who meet specified training and licensure requirements would be permitted to administer local anesthetics.
 • All programs that train dental hygienists to administer local anesthetics must include at least 16 classroom hours and 14 clinical hours. The faculty to student ratio must be no greater than 1 to 5, and students must receive a score of at least 80% in order to successfully complete the course.
 • Finally, dental hygienists who meets specified experience, training and supervision requirements would be permitted to practice dental hygiene at schools without a licensed dentist being physically present.

The bill has been sent to the state’s House of Representatives for consideration.

House Reauthorizes Violence Against Women Act, Senate Passage Questionable
 
H.R. 1620 [ [link removed] ] , the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization of 2021, passed with bipartisan support on a vote of 244-172. H.R. 1620 is the reauthorization of the original law passed in 1994. The bill protects and provides resources for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
 
An amendment offered by U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) would establish a taskforce on sexual violence in education. Recommendations from the taskforce would likely impact school climate surveys already required by the law, in addition to establishing additional reporting requirements. However, any changes or additions to reporting requirements under H.R. 1620 will not be known until after the law is passed and regulations are promulgated.
 
The House-passed bill strengthens existing protections for transgender women to access women's shelters and serve sentences in prisons that match their gender identity. It also includes a provision that expands the criminal threshold to bar an individual from buying a gun to include misdemeanor convictions of domestic abuse or stalking. It would also close the “boyfriend loophole” by expanding the definition of who is affected by existing gun prohibitions to include dating partners, not only spouses.
 
Because of the bill’s gun provisions, the National Rifle Association does not support the bill. Though Republican senators have expressed an interest in reaching a compromise on the gun provisions so that the bill can be advanced, passage in the Senate is questionable due to those provisions.

Saskatchewan Institutions Receive $150,000 in Seed Money for Dental Therapy Program
 
On March 29, The Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority, the Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Saskatchewan announced [ [link removed] ] that they had received $150,000 from Indigenous Services Canada to develop a proposal for the only accredited dental therapy program in Canada. The proposal envisions a two-year diploma program with teaching offered at locations across Saskatchewan including Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and in the northern part of the province. The proposal should be ready by March 2022.
 
Canada’s first dental therapy programs began in the early 1970’s, but the last program in the country closed in 2011 [ [link removed] ] .

Washington State Bill to Require Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Antiracism Training and Assessments at Higher Education Institutions
 
A bill moving [ [link removed] ] through the Washington State Legislature would require institutions of higher education to adopt diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism training for faculty and staff beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year, and for students in the 2024-2025 academic year.
 
Under the bill, all new faculty and staff would be required to participate in the program. Other faculty and staff may participate in the professional development program as needed or required by their institution. Each institution must also develop a goal of at least 80% of total faculty and staff completing the program over a two-year period. All students would be required to participate in the 2024-2025 academic year, and only new and transferring students would be required to participate in subsequent years.
 
Institutions would also be required to conduct climate assessments to understand the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion on campus for students, faculty and staff at least every five years. Additionally, institutions must, at minimum, conduct annual listening and feedback sessions for diversity, equity and inclusion for the entire campus community during periods between campus climate assessments. The bill also includes specified reporting requirements, as well as requirements for institutions to publish results on their websites.
 
The bill passed the State Senate in early March and is currently being considered by the House of Representatives.

NIDCR Study Finds a Role for Saliva in COVID-19 Transmission
 
A study funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) found that the novel coronavirus infects the mouth’s cells and can be transmitted to the lungs and digestive system through saliva. The research explored mechanisms of viral entry—research that has proven valuable in the fight against the coronavirus. The study is also yet another example of the dental community’s efforts to fight COVID-19.
 
Published online on March 25, in Nature Medicine, the study [ [link removed] ] was led by Blake M. Warner, D.D.S., Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Clinical Investigator and Chief of NIDCR’s Salivary Disorders Unit, and Kevin M. Byrd, D.D.S., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry at the time the research was conducted. The study concluded that “[t]he potential of the virus to infect multiple areas of the body might help explain the wide-ranging symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients, including oral symptoms such as taste loss, dry mouth and blistering. Moreover, the findings point to the possibility that the mouth plays a role in transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to the lungs or digestive system via saliva laden with virus from infected oral cells. A better understanding of the mouth’s involvement could inform strategies to reduce viral transmission within and outside the body.”

Registration Is Open for the ADEA 2021 Virtual Capitol Hill Day
 
Join the American Dental Education Association (ADEA)―The Voice of Dental Education, on Wednesday, April 28 for the 2021 ADEA Virtual Capitol Hill Day [ [link removed] ] !
 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, congressional offices are currently closed to the public, but you can still meet with your Representatives and Senators during this important event.
 
Taking place just before Congress considers fiscal year 2022 appropriations, the 2021 ADEA Virtual Capitol Hill Day is the opportune time to provide information to elected officials on programs that could affect you, your institution and the dental professions.
 
Join us [ [link removed] ] . Connect virtually with Members of Congress on issues that are vital to academic dentistry, including increased federal funding for the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), Title VII oral health training programs, and student loan forgiveness.
 
Register by the April 12 deadline [ [link removed] ] . Once registered, you will receive information regarding our upcoming advocacy training session to prepare you for your meetings with Members of Congress and their staff.
 
Mark your calendar and register today [ [link removed] ] . We’ll see you on April 28!

ADEA State Calendar [ [link removed] ]

ADEA Washington Calendar [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.
 
©2021
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
202-289-7201, adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA
ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer
 
Bridgette DeHart, J.D.
ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy
 
Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.
ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Brian Robinson
ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations
 
[email protected] [ [link removed] ]

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