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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 43, February 23, 2022

CDC Releases Proposed Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released proposed guidelines [ [link removed] ] for prescribing opioid painkillers. This is the first revision to opioid prescribing guidelines since 2016. Under the proposed guidelines, doctors are encouraged to use non-opioid therapies, including over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs, as well as physical therapy, massage and acupuncture as they are the first-line treatments for both chronic and acute pain.
 
The guidelines do not apply to cancer patients, patients suffering pain from sickle cell disease or patients in end-of-life or palliative care. Unlike the 2016 guidelines, these new proposed guidelines do not provide advice on the amount and duration of painkiller treatments. Both patients and doctors had argued that the prescribing limitations set in the 2016 guidelines hampered patients’ ability to get the pain medications they needed.
 
The 60-day comment period for the proposed guidelines is now open. The CDC will review the comments and issue final guidelines by the end of 2022. Like the 2016 guidelines, the finalized guidelines will be advisory and not mandatory.

PSLF Waiver Information Available on ADEA Website
 
ADEA, in partnership with the PSLF Coalition, held a webinar on Feb. 2 regarding the Department of Education’s (ED) recent announcement of a temporary waiver for potential beneficiaries of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.
 
For a limited time, ED will allow borrowers to receive credit toward loan forgiveness under the PSLF program for loan payments that otherwise would not qualify towards the number of payments needed to earn forgiveness. The PSLF Waiver is a temporary waiver that ends Oct. 31, 2022.
 
Information regarding eligibility and how to apply for the PSLF Waiver can be found on ADEA’s website [ [link removed] ] .

Dental Hygienists Peer Health Assistance Bill Passed by Colorado Senate
 
On Feb. 15, the Colorado Senate passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that intended to assist dental hygienists in coping with stress and other mental health issues they may be facing. If passed, the bill would create a peer health assistance program for dental hygienists to assist with physical, emotional or psychological problems that may be detrimental to the dental hygienist’s ability to practice. The bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Cleave Simpson (R), has stated a desire [ [link removed] ] to model the program after the state’s Dental Peer Health Assistance Program [ [link removed] ] . The bill will be sent to the state’s House of Representatives for consideration.

Licensure Bills Move Forward in Multiple States
 
Last week, a handful of states took steps toward approving bills that would make significant changes to licensure laws in their respective districts.
 
In Virginia, SB 590 [ [link removed] ] would allow the Virginia Board of Dentistry to grant a faculty license to a graduate of a foreign dental school without examination, provided the applicant has been granted a certification letter from the dean or program director of an accredited dental program confirming the applicant has clinical competency and clinical experience that meet the credentialing requirements.
 
The bill has passed the State Senate and will be considered by the Virginia House of Delegates. Provisions of the bill will expire on July 1, 2025.
 
In Florida, SB 926 [ [link removed] ] would require candidates for initial licensure as dentists or dental hygienists to demonstrate clinical skills on a manikin rather than a live patient. Specifically, dentists would be required to perform restorations and demonstrate periodontal skills on a manikin that has typodont teeth, as approved by the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA). Teeth used for restorations would simulate caries, while those used for periodontal skills would simulate calculus. Dental hygienists would be required to demonstrate clinical skills on a manikin that has typodont teeth with simulated dentition and calculus as approved by CDCA.
 
This bill has passed the Senate and an identical companion bill [ [link removed] ] is moving through the House.
 
New Mexico’s HB 191 [ [link removed] ] will expand the state’s portability laws for number of professions, including those governed by the state’s Board of Dental Health Care. If signed into law, the bill would require the Board to issue an expedited license, without examination, to a dentist or dental hygienist licensed in another licensing jurisdiction if the applicant holds a license that is current and in good standing. The Board would still be granted some discretion, as it would also be required to determine by rule the jurisdictions and foreign countries from which it will not accept an applicant for expedited licensure. A list of approved and unapproved jurisdictions would be required to be posted on the Board’s website, along with a reason for the disapproval.
 
The bill has passed both chambers of the legislature and will be sent to the Governor for consideration. Similar laws have recently been signed or implemented in Arizona [ [link removed] ] , Iowa [ [link removed] ] , Kansas [ [link removed] ] , Mississippi [ [link removed] ] , Missouri [ [link removed] ] and Oklahoma [ [link removed] ] .

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
 • Provider Relief Fund Reporting portal [ [link removed] ]
 • HRSA Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program [ [link removed] ]
 • HRSA New Funding Opportunity [ [link removed] ]
 • ADEA memo [ [link removed] ] regarding vaccines at the state level
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
 • ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
 • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

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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