(a) A single standard of care shall be maintained and the Board shall approve only those educational programs for extended functions in dental hygiene which continuously maintain a high quality standard of instruction. The requirements contained in this article are designed to that end and govern the approval of educational programs for RDHEF's. Continuation of approval will be contingent upon compliance with these requirements.

(b) An educational program for RDHEF's is one which has as its primary purpose providing college level education in extended function dental hygiene and which encompasses educational training in the settings, foundation and application of all duties, functions and responsibilities assignable under these regulations to registered dental hygienists in extended functions.

(c) A new educational program for RDHEF's shall apply for approval prior to operation. The Board may approve, provisionally approve, or deny approval of any such program. Provisional approval shall not be granted for a period which exceeds the length of the program and in no event for more than 30 days.When the Board provisionally approves a program, it shall state the reasons therefor. Provisional approval shall be limited to those programs which substantially comply with all existing standards for full approval. A program given provisional approval shall immediately notify each student of such status. The Board's maximum processing time for an application for an RDHEF Educational Program shall not exceed ten days to notify the applicant in writing that the application is complete and accepted for consideration of the Board or, that the application is deficient and what specific information is required. The Board's maximum time to approve, provisionally approve, or deny approval of the RDHEF Educational Program shall not exceed 90 days upon the filing of a completed application.

The Board may, in lieu of conducting its own investigation, accept the findings of any commission or accreditation agency approved by the Board and adopt those findings as its own. If the Board denies approval of a program, the specific reasons therefor shall be provided to the program by the Board in writing within 90 days after such action.