As a prerequisite to the annual renewal of a dental or dental hygiene license, proof of completion of 12 hours of acceptable continuing education is required. (1) Each licensee shall select and participate in the continuing education courses endorsed by the providers identified in §104.2 of this title (relating to Continuing Education Providers). A licensee who is unable to meet education course requirements may request that alternative courses or procedures be approved by the Continuing Education Committee. (A) Such requests must be in writing and submitted to and approved by the Continuing Education Committee prior to the expiration of the annual period for which the alternative is being requested. (B) A licensee must provide supporting documentation detailing the reason why the continuing education requirements set forth in this section cannot be met and must submit a proposal for alternative education procedures. (C) Acceptable causes may include residence outside the United States, unanticipated financial or medical hardships, or other extraordinary circumstances that are documented. (D) Should the request be denied, the licensee must complete the requirements of this section. (2) Aside from courses taken to satisfy the jurisprudence requirement of §104.1(3) of this title, all coursework must be either technical or scientific as related to clinical care. The terms "technical" and "scientific" as applied to continuing education shall mean that courses have significant intellectual or practical content and are designed to directly enhance the practitioner's knowledge and skill in providing clinical care to the individual patient. (3) Effective January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, each licensee shall complete either the jurisprudence assessment OR three (3) hours of approved coursework in jurisprudence every three (3) years, in addition to the general 12 hour requirement. (A) For the purposes of this section, "jurisprudence" refers to the body of statutes and regulations pertaining to and governing the licensee's practice, including relevant portions of the Texas Occupations Code, and the rules enacted by the Board. (B) Coursework in jurisprudence may be through self-study or interactive computer courses, either of which must be verifiable and provided by those entities cited in §104.2 of this title. (C) Effective January 1, 2008, the jurisprudence requirement may only be met by taking the jurisprudence assessment once every three years. (4) A licensee may carry forward continuing education hours earned prior to a renewal period which are in excess of the 12-hour requirement and such excess hours may be applied to subsequent years' requirements. Excess hours to be carried forward must have been earned in a classroom setting and within the three years immediately preceding the renewal period. A maximum of 24 total excess credit hours may be carried forward. (5) Hours of coursework in the standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may not be considered in the 12-hour requirement. (6) No more than 4 hours in any accumulation of coursework submitted for renewal purposes may be in self-study. These self-study hours must be provided by those entities cited in §104.2 of this title (relating to Providers). Examples of self-study courses include correspondence courses, video courses, audio courses, and reading courses. (7) No more than 4 hours in any accumulation of coursework submitted for renewal purposes may be interactive computerized courses. These interactive computerized courses must be provided by those entities cited in §104.2 of this title. Examples of interactive computer courses include those that involve interactive dialogue through electronic linkage with an instructor in which manipulation of text or data by the licensee occurs. (8) Examiners for the Western Regional Examining Board (WREB) will be allowed credit for no more than 6 hours annually, obtained from WREB's calibration and standardization exercise. This provision shall not apply to active board members. (9) Any individual or entity may petition one of the providers listed in §104.2 of this title to offer continuing education. (10) Providers cited in §104.2 of this title will approve individual courses and/or instructors. (11) A consultant for the SBDE who is also a licensee of the SBDE is eligible to receive up to 6 hours of continuing education credit annually to apply towards the annual renewal continuing education requirement under this section. (A) Continuing education credit hours shall be awarded for the issuance of an expert opinion based upon the review of SBDE cases and for providing assistance to the SBDE in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving violations of the Dental Practice Act and/or the Rules of the SBDE. (B) The amount of continuing education credit hours to be granted for each consultant task performed shall be determined by the Executive Director, Division Director or manager that authorizes the consultant task to be performed. The award of continuing education credit shall be confirmed in writing and based upon a reasonable assessment of the time required to complete the task. |
| Source Note: The provisions of this §104.1 adopted to be effective March 1, 1996, 21 TexReg 1422; amended to be effective April 19, 1998, 23 TexReg 3830; amended to be effective June 28, 1998, 23 TexReg 6440; amended to be effective November 30, 1999, 24 TexReg 10539; amended to be effective April 16, 2000, 25 TexReg 3250; amended to be effective July 1, 2002, 27 TexReg 5782; amended to be effective September 21, 2004, 29 TexReg 9004; amended to be effective February 25, 2007, 32 TexReg 627; amended to be effective December 24, 2007, 32 TexReg 9628 |
