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Oregon dentists to offer patients vaccines in 2020

Oregon dentists will become first in the nation to administer vaccinations to patients, according to local news station KATU.

House Bill 2220, which is expected to go into effect in 2020, will allow dentists to give patients any vaccinations, including measles, HPV and flu shots. The state Governor Kate Brown is expected to sign the bill in the coming days, KATU reports.

Oregon health professionals have been working to bring vaccinations to dental offices prior to the measles outbreak. In two weeks, a group of providers will meet with the Oregon Board of Dentistry to standardize training rules and protocols.

"This is not anything more than an access bill. Provide access for patients who want to get vaccines, to get them," Phillip Marucha, DDS, the dean of dentistry at Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University, told KATU.

Licensed dentists must undergo a certification process to provide the vaccines. The Oregon Health Authority will also help dentists with adopting rules on filing vaccination reports to the state's immunizations registry, KATU reports.

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