Yes, in some form, everywhere.
The ADHA's Dental Hygiene Practice Act Overview (8.24.26 update) lists at least one permitted supervision level for oral prophylaxis — the routine preventive cleaning — in all 51 jurisdictions it tracks: the 50 states plus DC.
What differs by state is how much dentist involvement is required, from Direct supervision to Direct Access.
Always confirm your exact state's current rule with its dental board.
The short answer
Oral prophylaxis — the routine cleaning that removes plaque, calculus, and surface stain from teeth with healthy gums, usually finished with a polish — is listed as permitted hygienist scope in every one of the 51 jurisdictions the ADHA's Practice Act Overview tracks.
There's no state where this function's row shows a flat "-" (not listed).
It's the preventive counterpart to scaling and root planing, the deeper periodontal cleaning used once gum disease is present.
The two are separate rows on the same chart, and as the comparison section below shows, a number of states require different supervision for one than the other — so don't assume one code covers both.
Informational only — confirm with your state board
How the chart defines each supervision level
The codes in the table below come straight from the chart's own legend, not a paraphrase.
Five of the chart's six supervision levels show up somewhere in this function's row (the sixth, Personal Supervision, doesn't appear for oral prophylaxis but does on other rows, such as local anesthesia):
- D — Direct: the dentist needs to be present.
- ID — Indirect: the dentist must authorize the procedure and be in the dental office while it's performed.
- G — General: the dentist needs to authorize the service in advance but need not be present.
- A — Direct Access: the hygienist can provide the service as they determine appropriate, without specific prior authorization.
- CP — Collaborative Practice: the hygienist may practice without supervision, under a collaborative agreement with a licensed dentist.
Where a state's cell lists more than one letter — like Alaska's G/A/CP, Indiana's D/CP, West Virginia's A/CP, or Wyoming's G/ID — that's more than one separate supervision setting (commonly private vs. public practice), never a range and never one simplified into the other.
Quote the cell exactly as the chart lists it.
Oral prophylaxis supervision, by state
The full row for this function, exactly as the ADHA Practice Act Overview lists it as of the 8.24.26 update.
Codes are defined above; a multi-letter code means multiple listed settings, not a range.
| State | ADHA supervision code |
|---|---|
| Alabama | D |
| Alaska | G/A/CP |
| Arizona | G |
| Arkansas | ID |
| California | G/A |
| Colorado | A |
| Connecticut | G |
| Delaware | G |
| District of Columbia | G |
| Florida | G/A |
| Georgia | D |
| Hawaii | D/G |
| Idaho | G |
| Illinois | G |
| Indiana | D/CP |
| Iowa | G |
| Kansas | G/A |
| Kentucky | G |
| Louisiana | D/G |
| Maine | A |
| Maryland | G |
| Massachusetts | G |
| Michigan | A |
| Minnesota | ID |
| Mississippi | G/A |
| Missouri | G/A |
| Montana | G/A |
| Nebraska | G |
| Nevada | G/A |
| New Hampshire | G |
| New Jersey | G |
| New Mexico | G/A |
| New York | G |
| North Carolina | D |
| North Dakota | G |
| Ohio | G |
| Oklahoma | G |
| Oregon | G/A |
| Pennsylvania | G/A |
| Rhode Island | G/A |
| South Carolina | G |
| South Dakota | G |
| Tennessee | G |
| Texas | G |
| Utah | G |
| Vermont | G |
| Virginia | G/A |
| Washington | G |
| West Virginia | A/CP |
| Wisconsin | G |
| Wyoming | G/ID |
What the pattern looks like, counted from the chart
Counting directly from the 8.24.26 extract: 3 jurisdictions — Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina — list Direct supervision alone for oral prophylaxis. 25 jurisdictions list General supervision alone, the largest single group. 2 jurisdictions — Arkansas and Minnesota — list Indirect supervision alone.
3 jurisdictions — Colorado, Maine, and Michigan — list Direct Access alone, meaning a hygienist there may perform oral prophylaxis based on their own assessment without case-by-case authorization.
The remaining 18 jurisdictions list more than one supervision level (separate settings, not a range): Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
How this compares to scaling and root planing — and the rest of the chart
Oral prophylaxis and scaling and root planing are two of six functions on the ADHA's 22-function chart with no "-" in any of the 51 jurisdictions — the others are x-rays, topical anesthesia, fluoride, and pit/fissure sealants.
Other functions on the same chart are far more restricted: local anesthesia is listed "-" in only 2 of the 51, nitrous oxide in 17 of the 51, and Botox in 48 of the 51.
But "both universal" doesn't mean the two rows match. 13 of the 51 jurisdictions list a different supervision code for oral prophylaxis than for scaling and root planing.
In Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Wyoming, the chart lists Direct supervision — dentist physically present — for scaling and root planing, but a broader code for oral prophylaxis.
New Jersey runs the other direction, listing General alone for oral prophylaxis but Direct plus General for scaling and root planing.
The pattern fits the difference between preventive and periodontal-disease care, but it isn't universal — check the specific function rather than assuming one code covers both.
Confirm your state's exact rule
A "-" elsewhere on this chart means a function is not listed as a permitted service in that state's row — it does not mean the state prohibits it outright, only that the chart doesn't list it as authorized.
Oral prophylaxis doesn't have that problem: every jurisdiction lists a level.
What you still need to confirm locally is exactly what that level requires in practice, since practice acts and their interpretation change over time.
Start with your state dental board's practice act, and treat this chart and this article as a snapshot dated to 8.24.26 rather than a permanent rule.
For the rest of what a hygienist can and can't do, see our full breakdown of hygienist scope limits.
This article is general information, not legal or clinical advice. Scope-of-practice and supervision rules vary by state and change over time — confirm current requirements with your state dental board.