Which statement best describes the relationship between the dentist and the dental hygienist in issuing prescriptions?

• A. A dentist must authorize the prescription; the hygienist delivers the services.
• B. A hygienist may independently issue prescriptions.
• C. A nurse may substitute for a dentist in issuing prescriptions.
• D. A patient may issue the prescription.

Answer: (A)

Prescribing authority in dentistry is supervisory. The dentist holds the ultimate responsibility for medication decisions in a patient’s care, and while a dental hygienist can deliver treatments under the dentist’s delegation, the hygienist does not issue prescriptions independently. When a prescription is needed, the dentist must authorize it, and then the hygienist can provide the service under that authorization. This arrangement keeps prescribing accountability with the dentist while the hygienist handles the clinical delivery and patient instruction.

Other options miss the fundamental point: a hygienist cannot independently issue prescriptions, a nurse is not authorized to substitute for the dentist in issuing dental prescriptions, and a patient cannot issue prescriptions.