Yes — under the ADHA's Practice Act Overview (8.24.26 update), pit-and-fissure sealants are a permitted function for dental hygienists in all 51 jurisdictions the chart tracks (50 states plus DC).
What differs is the supervision level: four states list Direct supervision as the sole level (with four more requiring it in at least one setting), three states list direct access as the only level (with 11 more allowing it in at least one setting), and most states fall somewhere between, usually general supervision.
The short answer
Every jurisdiction the ADHA's Practice Act Overview tracks — all 50 states plus the District of Columbia — lists pit-and-fissure sealants as permitted hygienist scope as of the 8.24.26 update.
No state's row for this function shows a flat "-" (not listed).
What changes from state to state isn't whether hygienists can place sealants — it's the supervision level required while they do.
That ranges from needing a dentist physically present to needing no prior authorization at all.
Verify with your state dental board
The supervision levels this row uses
The chart defines supervision in its own terms, and this article uses them exactly as written. Direct supervision means the dentist needs to be present. Indirect supervision means the dentist must authorize the procedure and be in the dental office while it's performed.
General supervision means the dentist authorizes the treatment in advance but doesn't need to be present. Direct Access means the hygienist can provide the service as they determine appropriate, without specific authorization. Collaborative Practice means the hygienist may practice without supervision under a written agreement with a licensed dentist.
Where a state lists two or more of these separated by a slash, that isn't a range — it's separate levels that apply depending on the setting (for example, private versus public practice), per the chart's own note.
Where a dentist must be present or authorizing on-site
Five states list only the narrowest supervision levels for hygienist-placed sealants, with no looser alternative shown in the chart. Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio list direct supervision only — the dentist must be physically present. Arkansas lists indirect supervision — the dentist must authorize the procedure and be in the office, though not necessarily at the chair.
These five are the exception, not the rule — sealants are one of the functions where most states have moved past requiring the dentist on site.
Where hygienists have full direct access
At the other end, three states list Direct Access as the only supervision level for sealants: Colorado, Maine, and Michigan.
In these states, the chart shows a hygienist can provide the service as they determine appropriate, without needing a dentist to authorize the specific patient or visit.
That's a meaningfully looser standard than general supervision, where authorization still has to happen — it's just that the dentist doesn't have to be in the building.
The majority: general supervision, sometimes combined with another level
General supervision — the dentist authorizes in advance but doesn't need to be present — is the single most common answer in the chart.
Twenty-eight jurisdictions, including Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C., list General as the sole supervision level for sealants.
Fifteen more states list two or three supervision levels that apply depending on the practice setting rather than one flat rule.
Most of those pair General with Direct Access — Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia; Hawaii, Louisiana, and Mississippi pair Direct and General supervision (the chart lists them as D/G or G/D depending on the state, with nothing to indicate the order encodes which setting is which); Indiana pairs Direct with Collaborative Practice; and Alaska lists all three — General, Direct Access, and Collaborative Practice — across its settings.
If your state falls into this group, the practical takeaway is that the level you fall under can depend on where you're practicing, not just which state you're licensed in.
How sealants compare to the site's other scope questions
Sealants aren't the only function this chart covers, and the supervision level for one doesn't tell you the level for another.
A hygienist's ability to administer local anesthesia or nitrous oxide is set independently in the same chart, and a state that grants direct access for sealants can still require direct supervision for local anesthesia.
Botox and dermal fillers sit at the opposite extreme from sealants — the chart lists them as not permitted for hygienists in nearly every jurisdiction, versus sealants being permitted everywhere.
Treat each function on its own rather than assuming one implies another.
This chart also only covers hygienists.
In many states, a trained dental assistant can place sealants too, usually as a separate expanded function credentialed and authorized under its own state rule rather than this chart.
How to confirm your state's rule
The ADHA's Practice Act Overview (8.24.26 update) is the source for every figure in this article, and it says plainly that it's for informational purposes only, not a legal opinion — the chart itself sends readers to their state dental board to verify.
Sealant supervision requirements can change by legislative session.
If you're evaluating a job offer or planning a move, confirm the current supervision level for sealants — and for any other function you'll be performing — directly with the board in that state.
This article is general information, not legal or clinical advice. Scope-of-practice and licensing rules vary by state and change over time — confirm current requirements with your state dental board.