At their meeting on November 7, 2025, the Georgia Board of Dentistry discussed potential amendments to Rule 150-5-.03 and Rule 150-5-.08. The proposed amendment to 150-5-.03 passed, but the amendment to Rule 150-5-.08 was recalled for further review. Georgia Dental Association’s Government Affairs team provided public comment on both proposals.

Rule 150-5-.03

The third section of Rule 150-5 covers requirements related to the supervision of dental hygiene. It defines 2 types of supervision, Direct and General.

“"Direct supervision" shall mean that a licensed dentist is in the dental office or treatment facility, personally diagnoses the condition to be treated, personally authorizes the procedure and remains in the dental office or treatment facility while the procedure is being performed by the dental hygienist, and before dismissal of the patient, examines the patient”

“"General supervision" shall mean that a licensed dentist has authorized the delegable duties of a dental hygienist but does not require that a licensed dentist be present when such duties are performed.”

The section includes lists of authorized procedures under each supervision category. Prior to the proposed amendment, hygienists under general supervision in a private office setting could perform:

1. Application of sealants and oral prophylaxis and assessment;
2. Fluoride treatment;
3. Oral hygiene instruction and education; and
4. Exposure and processing of radiographs if provided for by specific, individualized standing orders of the authorizing dentist, including any protocols regarding urgent dental issues that arise.

The proposed amendment adds periodontal maintenance (D4910) to part 1 of the duties authorized under general supervision. It also adds periodontal maintenance the list of duties allowed in section (4)(c)2 which governs public health facilities. The rule previously did not mention periodontal maintenance at all.

Rule 150-5-.08

The Board also discussed an amendment which would have adjusted wording related to hygienists’ use of lasers had it passed. The eighth section of Rule 150-5 is only a year old. It authorizes hygienists to use a diode laser, “limited to…bacterial reduction / disinfection of the gingival sulcus.” It sets out limits on laser use as well as education and training requirements to be met prior to the use of a laser for the prescribed purpose.

The proposed amendment altered the wording at the beginning of the section, splitting the first sentence in half and adding language authorizing photobiomodulation. Language limiting the use of diode lasers to bacterial reduction/disinfection would have been retained. Ultimately, the Board voted to recall the amendment.

Photobiomodulation?

Clinical light therapies fall into distinct categories defined by their evoked biological response. There are 3 tiers of light therapy: photothermal therapy (ablation or evaporation), photodynamic therapy (disinfection or tumoricidal), and photobiomodulation therapy (modulation of a transient and reversible biological response). Photobiomodulation is a low-dose non-thermal light therapy. The current version of Rule 150-5-.08 authorizes bacterial reduction and disinfection without explicitly authorizing the use of light therapies for photobiomodulation.

Arany, 2025 summarizes the evidence of the effectiveness of photobiomodulation writing that, “[photobiomodulation] treatment in supportive cancer care has reached the pinnacle of clinical evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses that have led to clinical practice guidelines for oral mucositis management. However, claims for PBM as a panacea for all oral diseases are rather ingenuous, and its therapeutic benefits have been exaggerated primarily because of the lack of a biological rationale for its clinical use.” He goes on to explore evidence for other suggested uses including mitigating pain and inflammation, modulating immune response, promoting tissue healing. Of particular note, he cites several systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to the use of photobiomodulation in third molar extractions with promising results.

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