The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission's report on the State Board of Dental Examiners recommends continuing the agency for 12 years but makes a number of recommendations for reform. The size of the Board would be reduced from 15 to 11 members. The Board's statutory advisory groups would be eliminated in favor of clearer processes for stakeholder input. The structure and conduct of informal settlement proceedings would be more well-defined. The Board's four dental assistant certificate programs would be merged into one registration for dental assistants. The Board would be required to establish minimum standards, education and training for dentists administering anesthesia, particularly for high-risk and pediatric patients.
Read more of the recommendations
The report on the Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists, Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, and Board of Social Work Examiners recommends consolidating these boards with the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the Council on Sex Offender Treatment and licensed chemical dependency counselors to form the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council. Such merger would take place by September 1, 2018. Each board would appoint one of its professional members and one of its public members to serve on the Executive Council, which would have final authority over rules of scope of practice, standards of care, ethics, and all operational and regulatory procedures.
