The committee met several times over the past year to consider stakeholder feedback on how to draft teledentistry regulations that would be in the best interest of patient health and safety.
The Kentucky Board of Dentistry has voted to pass the new teledentistry rules, effective June 9.
The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) issued a statement saying it believes the new teledentistry rules are in the best interest of patient health and safety, including provisions for a licensee to disclose his or her identity, credentials, contact information, and phone number, to verify and authenticate a patient’s health history. The new rules, under Chapter 8, Board of Dentistry, also provide the patient contact information for the Kentucky Board of Dentistry, and a link to the patient complaint process.
In January 2020, the Kentucky Board voted to accept the draft rules and begin the official rulemaking process by posting the rules for public comment. After reviewing the comments received, the committee presented the draft rules, which were later approved this week, to the Board at its May 16 virtual board meeting.
The Kentucky State legislature originally passed telehealth laws in 2018, which mandated that the Kentucky Board create telehealth regulations specific to the practice of dentistry. Then in January 2019, the Board formed a teledentistry committee of stakeholders and began drafting regulations that would define standards for the practice of teledentistry. The committee, which included AAO representatives, met several times over the past year to consider stakeholder feedback on how to draft regulations that would be in the best interest of patient health and safety.
