title: The dental emergency responder: Expanding the scope of dental practice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Natural disasters, the potential for terrorism and weapons-of-mass-destruction events occurring within the continental United States necessitate that all licensed health care providers understand the National Incident Management System and be able to contribute to inoculation, mass casualty assistance and triage care of the populace.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care and political leaders constantly revise "all hazard" response plans, using the available health care assets that local, state and federal agencies bring to emergency events. Illinois Public Act 49-409 modifies the scope of dental practice within Illinois to allow for a dental emergency responder (DER).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The DER is a dentist or dental hygienist "acting within the bounds of his or her license when providing care during a declared local, state or national emergency."
authors.affiliation: Disaster Emergency Medicine Readiness Training Center, Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Colvard@uic.edu
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Colvard
authors.forename: Lewis N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Lampiris
authors.forename: Geoffrey A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Cordell
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guay
authors.forename: Moses
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D003815:Dentists; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D024382:Professional Role; D014481:United States