Florida

Current Law

Fla. Stat. § 466.0235

Under this statute, dental hygienists in Florida may perform dental charting without supervision in designated public health settings. The statute explicitly requires that individuals receiving charting be informed, via a written disclosure, that diagnosis of oral cancer—along with caries, soft tissue disease, temporomandibular joint disease, and malocclusions—can only be made by a licensed dentist during a comprehensive dental examination. The law emphasizes that charting is limited to visual observations and is not a substitute for diagnostic methods necessary to identify oral cancer, reinforcing the importance of referral for full dental evaluation.