Kentucky governor signs law requiring dental exams for students enrolling in public schools

Poor oral health in Kentucky and the rest of Appalachia has received more attention lately, and that led to passage of a bill in Kentucky to require students entering school to undergo a dental check-up, reports The Associated Press. Gov. Steve Beshear signed the bill into law yesterday. It will take effect in 2010.

The bill passed through both the House and Senate without opposition, but was the culmination of a 10-year effort by dentists and some wangling over whether dentists would have to be the ones performing the exams. The bill says exam can be performed "by a qualified dental professional, physician, registered nurse, advanced registered nurse practitioner or physician assistant," but if evidence of dental disease is found, the child must be referred to a dentist.

In West Virginia, another state with poor oral health, lawmakers recently passed a bill that would allow dental hygienists to do some basic teeth cleaning procedures without a dentist's supervision. Gov. Joe Manchin is expected to sign the bill into law. In Maine, the House passed a bill that "would provide an income tax credit of up to $15,000 for dentists who join or open a new practice or buy an existing practice in an underserved area, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and agree to practice there for at least five years," reports the Bangor Daily News.