The secretary shall appoint a director of the department's office of oral health, who shall be a dental health care professional licensed pursuant to the Dental Health Care Act [Chapter 61, Article 5A NMSA 1978].
History: Laws 2019, ch. 107, § 13.
ANNOTATIONSEffective dates. — Laws 2019, ch. 107, § 19 made Laws 2019, ch. 107, § 13 effective June 14, 2020.
Temporary provisions. — Laws 2019, ch. 107, § 17 provided that the department of health shall conduct an outcome report on the first five years of dental therapy practice in the state pursuant to this 2019 act. At a date five years following the date of the first issuance of a license to practice dental therapy in the state, the department of health shall consult with the New Mexico board of dental health care, the New Mexico dental hygienists' association and the New Mexico dental association to compile and issue a report to the legislative health and human services committee of the department's findings and recommendations regarding dental therapy, including:
A. its efficacy, effectiveness and cost;
B. its impact on access to dental health care;
C. the distribution of dental therapists statewide;
D. demographic representation among dental therapists;
E. issues related to supervision of dental therapists and their scope of practice;
F. evaluation of services delivered under indirect supervision; and
G. evaluation of services delivered under general supervision for recommendation to indirect supervision.