It is the intention of the Legislature by enactment of this article to permit the full utilization of dental assistants in order to meet the dental care needs of all the state’s citizens. The Legislature further intends that the classifications of dental assistants established by this article permit the continual advancement of persons to successively higher levels of licensure with additional education and training. The Legislature further intends that the Dental Board of California, in implementing this article, consider the recommendations of the Dental Assisting Council, established pursuant to Section 1742.

As used in this article:

assistant.

certified dental assistant certificate is not required for subsequent licensure renewals.

or self-paced online coursework units shall not be more than eight units per day within a range of dates during a seminar, workshop, or educational series where more than one day is required to complete the coursework.

means supervision of dental procedures based on instructions given by a licensed dentist, who shall be physically present in the treatment facility during the performance of those procedures.

interim therapeutic restoration consists of the removal of soft material from the tooth using only hand instrumentation, without the use of rotary instrumentation, and subsequent placement of an adhesive restorative material. An interim therapeutic restoration may also be applied to a tooth with caries that has been confirmed by the treating dentist to be arrested through the use of a caries arresting agent with or without further removal of tooth structure. Local anesthesia shall not be necessary for interim therapeutic restoration placement.

means a California-licensed dentist in good standing who directly supervises and provides on-the-job training to a preceptee in a preceptorship in dental assisting by evaluating clinical competence, documenting completion of clinical chairside work experience, learning, and clinical progress, teaching and promoting clinical reasoning, and ensuring the preceptee has completed course requirements before performing dental assisting duties pursuant to Section 1750.1. A preceptee may have more than one California-licensed dentist serve as a preceptor.

assistant” means a person licensed by the board to perform all procedures authorized under Section 1752.4.

levels.

professional society, association, or entity whose membership is comprised of registered dental assistants within the state. Two of those members shall be employed as faculty members of a registered dental assisting educational program approved by the board, and shall have been so employed for at least the prior five years. Three of those members, which shall include one registered dental assistant in extended functions, shall be employed clinically in private dental practice or public safety net or dental health care clinics. All five of those members shall have possessed a current and active registered dental assistant or registered dental assistant in extended functions license for at least the prior five years, and shall not be employed by a current member of the board.

assisting forum or have any financial interest in any registered dental assistant school. All final candidate qualifications and applications for board-appointed council members shall be made available in the published board materials with final candidate selection conducted during the normal business of the board during public meetings.

necessary.

shall provide its reasons in writing for rejecting or significantly modifying the recommendation, which shall be provided by the board within 30 days.

The procedure on all matters relating to the denial, suspension, or revocation of licenses granted under this article shall be governed by the provisions of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

be responsible for ensuring that the dental assistant has successfully completed a board-approved eight-hour course in infection control prior to performing any basic supportive dental procedures involving potential exposure to blood, saliva, or other potentially infectious materials.

who has been employed continuously or on an intermittent basis by that employer for one year from the date of first employment provides evidence to the employer that the dental assistant has already successfully completed, or successfully completes, all of the following within one year of the first date of employment:

basic life support to perform duties involving patients.

shall provide evidence to the course provider of having completed a board-approved eight-hour course in infection control and a current, valid certification in basic life support.

purpose of oral radiography if the dental assistant has complied with the requirements of paragraph (4) of subdivision (f) of Section 1750.

devices.

orthodontic appliances and deliver care instructions to the patient.

related to the scope of their practice.

Health Institute, American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program, or Academy of General Dentistry’s Program Approval for Continuing Education.

permit renewal and completing the continuing education requirements as established by the board pursuant to Section 1645 and the renewal requirements of Article 6 (commencing with Section 1715).

aligner buttons, aligner connections, orthodontic brackets, and appliances.

scaler from supragingival surfaces of teeth undergoing orthodontic treatment.

abilities necessary to competently perform the duties specified in Section 1750.5.

suspension.

sedation, deep sedation, or general anesthesia.

At least once every seven years, the board shall review the allowable duties for dental assistants, registered dental assistants, registered dental assistants in extended functions, dental sedation assistant permitholders, and orthodontic assistant permitholders, the supervision level for these categories, and the settings under which these duties may be performed, and shall update the regulations as necessary to keep them current with the state of the dental practice.

by the Dental Assisting National Board.

supervised, evaluated, and documented by a supervising licensed dentist.

board of coursework in dental assisting-related topics, inclusive of the education required in subdivision (c), which may be obtained concurrent to the work experience and satisfies all the following:

(ii) Courses shall be obtained through a board-approved dental assisting educational program or course provider, a board-registered provider of continuing education courses, the American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program, or a provider approved

by the Academy of General Dentistry Program Approval for Continuing Education.

(iii) The preceptee’s completion of the coursework shall be verified by the preceptor, who shall certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California verification of the preceptee’s completion of the required coursework.

shall establish the minimum criteria for the curriculum of nonboard-approved programs. Additionally, the board shall notify those programs only if the program’s curriculum does not meet established minimum criteria, as established for board-approved registered dental assistant programs, except any requirement that the program be given in a postsecondary institution. Graduates of programs not meeting established minimum criteria shall not qualify for satisfactory work experience as defined by this section.

two-hour course in the Dental Practice Act.

Academy of General Dentistry’s Program Approval for Continuing Education.

certification in basic life support issued by American Red Cross, American Heart Association, American Safety and Health Institute, American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program, or Academy of General Dentistry’s Program Approval for Continuing Education.

applicable. These terms shall be used for reference purposes only and do not create additional categories of licensure.

light-curing device.

restorations, including stainless steel crowns when used as a provisional restoration.

bands, and removing excess cement from tooth surfaces with a hand instrument.

training, and whose skill, knowledge, and education in the use of such contemporary technique or material has been determined clinically competent by the supervising licensed dentist.

A registered dental assistant licensed on and after January 1, 2010, shall provide evidence of successful completion of a board-approved course in the application of pit and fissure sealants prior to the first expiration of his or her license that requires the completion of continuing education as a condition of renewal. The license of a registered dental assistant who does not provide evidence of successful completion of that course shall not be renewed until evidence of course completion is provided.

the procedures specified in Section 1753.5.

such permit or permits.

oral lesions, classifying occlusion, performing myofunctional evaluations, and oral cancer screenings as authorized by the supervising dentist.

professional responsibility of a licensed dentist if the registered dental assistant in extended functions has completed the appropriate education and training, and whose skill, knowledge, and education in the use of such contemporary technique or material has been determined clinically competent by the supervising licensed dentist.

established by the supervising dentist.

evidencing that the course is sufficient in length for the students to develop competency in placement of protective restorations, but shall be, at a minimum, 16 hours in length and include all of the following:

(ii) Theory of adhesive restorative materials used in the placement of adhesive protective restorations, including mechanisms of bonding to tooth structure, handling characteristics of the materials, preparation of the tooth prior to material placement, and placement techniques.

(iii) Criteria used in clinical dentistry pertaining to the use and placement of adhesive protective restorations, which

shall include:

(I) Patient factors, as follows:

(ia) According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification, the patient is Class III or less.

(ib) The patient is cooperative enough to have the interim therapeutic restoration placed without the need for special protocols, including sedation or physical support.

(ic) The patient, or responsible party, has provided consent for the interim therapeutic restoration procedure.

(id) The patient reports that the tooth is asymptomatic, or if there is mild sensitivity that stops within a few seconds of the removal of the offending stimulus.

(II) Tooth

factors, as follows:

(ia) The lesion is accessible without the need for creating access using a dental handpiece.

(ib) The margins of the lesion are accessible so that clean, noninvolved margins can be obtained around the entire periphery of the lesion with the use of hand instrumentation.

(ic) The depth of the lesion is more than two millimeters from the pulp on radiographic examination or is judged by the supervising licensed dentist to be a shallow lesion such that the treatment does not endanger the pulp or require the use of local anesthetic.

(id) The tooth is restorable and does not have other significant pathology.

(iv) The protocols to deal with adverse outcomes used in the

placement of adhesive protective restorations, including mechanisms of bonding to tooth structure, handling characteristics of the materials, preparation of the tooth prior to material placement, and placement techniques.

(vi) Protocols for adverse outcomes after interim therapeutic restoration placement, including, but not limited to, exposed pulp, tooth fracture, gingival tissue injury, high occlusion, open margins, tooth sensitivity, rough surface, complications, or unsuccessful completion of adhesive protective restorations, including situations requiring immediate referral to a dentist.

(vii) Protocols

for followup of adhesive protective restorations, including, but not limited to, at least two followup examinations of the interim therapeutic restoration within a 12-month period.

(B) Four hours of laboratory training, which shall be held at a physical facility, and include placement of 10 adhesive protective restorations where students demonstrate competency in this technique on typodont teeth.

(C) Eight hours of clinical training, which shall be held at a physical facility, and include experiences where students demonstrate, at minimum, placement of five interim therapeutic restorations under direct supervision of faculty.

diagnosis and treatment planning by a dentist, but shall be, at a minimum, four hours in length and include all of the following:

(ii) Guidelines for radiographic decisionmaking, including, but not limited to, both of the following concepts:

(I) The American Dental Association’s Dental Radiographic Examinations: Recommendations for Patient Selection and Limiting Radiation Exposure (Revised 2012).

(II) The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Guidelines on Prescribing Dental Radiographs.

(iii) The guidelines developed by Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (Pacific) for use in training for Health and Workforce Pilot Project No. 172, including both of the following:

(I) Instruction on specific decisionmaking guidelines that incorporate information about the patient’s health, radiographic history, time span since previous radiographs were taken, and availability of previous radiographs.

(II) Instruction pertaining to the general condition of the mouth, including the extent of dental restorations present and visible signs of abnormalities, including broken teeth, dark areas, holes in teeth, demineralization, visible carious lesions, and remineralization.

(B) Laboratory training

that includes case-based examination with various clinical situations where trainees make decisions about which radiographs to expose and demonstrate competency to faculty based on these case studies.

(C) Simulated clinical experiences consisting of a review of various clinical cases with instructor-led discussion about radiographic decisionmaking in these clinical situations.

necessary to develop dental assisting skills in radiographic decisionmaking.

infectious diseases exposure control plan, which shall include emergency needlestick information.

course enrollment, the course provider shall ensure submission by the student of satisfactory evidence of both of the following requirements:

restoration placement and radiographic decisionmaking.

program.

facilities, and faculty within 10 days of such changes.

the specific purpose of the dentist making a diagnosis and treatment plan for the patient. In these circumstances, the dental assistant in extended functions shall follow protocols established by the supervising dentist. This paragraph only applies in the following settings:

(A) In a dental office setting.

(B) In public health settings, using telehealth, as defined by Section 2290.5, for the purpose of communication with the supervising dentist, including, but not limited to, schools, Head Start and preschool programs, and community clinics, under the general supervision of a dentist.

further definitive treatment. An interim therapeutic restoration consists of the removal of soft material from the tooth using only hand instrumentation, without the use of rotary instrumentation, and subsequent placement of an adhesive restorative material. Local anesthesia shall not be necessary for interim therapeutic restoration placement. Interim therapeutic restorations shall be placed only in accordance with both of the following:

(ii) In public health settings, using telehealth, as defined by Section 2290.5, for the purpose of communication with the supervising dentist, including, but not limited to, schools, Head Start and preschool programs, and

community clinics, under the general supervision of a dentist.

(B) After the diagnosis, treatment plan, and instruction to perform the procedure provided by a dentist.

(c).

Each person who holds a license as a registered dental assistant in extended functions on the operative date of this section may only perform those procedures that a registered dental assistant is allowed to perform as specified in and limited by Section 1752.4, and the procedures specified in subdivisions (a) to (d), inclusive, until the person provides evidence of having completed a board-approved course in the additional procedures specified in Sections 1753.5 and 1753.55:

and all requirements set forth in this section. The board may withdraw approval at any time that it determines that the course does not meet the requirements set forth in this subdivision.

judgments regarding radiation safety.

mounting or sequencing, and viewing, including anatomical landmarks of the oral cavity.

or supervising dentist.

successfully complete a comprehensive written exam prior to the completion of the course. The exam shall include questions specific to items addressed in Article 4 (commencing with Section 30305) of Group 3 of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations relative to the special requirements for the use of x-ray in the healing arts.

shall provide to the board, upon request or renewal of provider status, copies of all contracts of affiliation and documentation demonstrating compliance with board regulations.

board-approved eight-hour course, with six hours of didactic instruction and at least two hours of laboratory instruction using video or a series of video training tools, all of which may be delivered using asynchronous, synchronous, or online learning mechanisms or a combination thereof.

forth in Sections 300 to 344.85, inclusive, of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, and the board’s Minimum Standards for Infection Control, as set forth in Section 1005 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations:

surface barriers and disinfection, sterilization, sanitation, and hazardous chemicals associated with infection control.

general office safety, exposure control, postexposure requirements, and monitoring systems for radiation safety and sterilization systems.

No person other than a licensed dental hygienist or a licensed dentist may engage in the practice of dental hygiene or perform dental hygiene procedures on patients, including, but not limited to, supragingival and subgingival scaling, dental hygiene assessment, and treatment planning, except for the following persons:

The board shall adopt regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this article.

Any person, other than a person who has been issued a license or permit by the board, who holds himself or herself out as a registered dental assistant, orthodontic assistant permitholder, dental sedation assistant permitholder, or registered dental assistant in extended functions, or uses any other term indicating or implying he or she is licensed or permitted by the board as such, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

The provisions of Sections 1715, 1718, 1718.1, 1718.2, and 1718.3 shall govern the renewal, restoration, reinstatement, and reissuance of licenses issued under this article.

The license shall continue in effect through the date provided in Section 1715 that next occurs after its issuance, when it shall expire if not renewed.

While employed by or practicing in a primary care clinic or specialty clinic licensed pursuant to Section 1204 of the Health and Safety Code, in a primary care clinic exempt from licensure pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1206 of the Health and Safety Code, or a clinic owned and operated by a hospital that maintains the primary contract with a county government to fill the county’s role under Section 17000 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, the following shall apply: