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New Mexico dental hygienists propose three-tier model to expand care in schools, long-term care and rural areas
Summary
The New Mexico Dental Hygienists Association proposed revising collaborative practice, creating a public-health endorsement and an advanced dental hygiene practitioner role to allow diagnosis and broaden care in underserved settings; legislators pressed on supervision, liability and Medicaid reimbursement.
Representatives of the New Mexico Dental Hygienist Association urged the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee to update the state’s dental statutes, proposing a three-tier approach to expand preventive and some advanced services in underserved communities.
"We would like to update our dental health care statute to allow hygienists more autonomy to be able to diagnose and treat for conditions which we are educated and licensed to do," said a presenter from the association, summarizing a tiered model that would retain collaborative ties to dentists while enabling services in schools, long-term care and community clinics.
The three proposed tiers are: a revised collaborative-practice model that clarifies diagnostic authority and referral protocols; a public-health dental-hygienist endorsement to allow autonomous practice in board-approved public-health settings (schools, correctional facilities, long-term care, telehealth); and an advanced dental hygiene practitioner role modeled on advanced-practice clinicians, requiring graduate training or bridge programs.
Presenters said New Mexico graduates about 84 new dental hygienists in 2025 across four programs and argued expanded scope would retain hygienists, improve rural access and support medical–dental integration. They cited Colorado and other states as comparators for diagnosis and autonomous practice.
Committee members expressed support and concern. Questions focused on dentists’ buy-in, whether teledentistry could substitute for in-person supervision, capacity at UNM to increase graduates, and Medicaid reimbursement for autonomous hygienists. Presenters responded that increased education and malpractice insurance would be required and that hygienists could enroll as Medicaid providers.
Legislators discussed pilot approaches (school-based clinics) and the need to coordinate with dental associations and payers before statutory changes. No final legislative action was taken; the committee encouraged continued engagement with stakeholders.
Ending: The committee asked presenters to follow up on educational requirements, date references for comparator states and reimbursement structures as they consider drafting statutory language.
