New Legislation Passed in September 2004 will not take effect until January 2010
SB1546 was signed by the governor in September 2004.  This new legislation changes the scope of practice for dental assistants in California.  For a more detailed explanation, go to our web page and link up to COMDA.

The following is limited summary of part of that bill that would take effect now on January 1, 2010 not 2007:

Section 1750-Effecting Dental Assistants

• Establishes the requirements that the supervising licensed dentist employer shall be responsible for assuring that each dental assistant and licensed dental assistants, who are in his or her continuous employ for 120 days or more, has completed the following within such time period: Board approved courses in infection control, California law, basic life support offered by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or any other course approved by the board as equivalent.

Section 1750.2-Creates New Licensed Specialty Dental Assistants

• Creates three new licensure categories: "registered orthodontic assistant," "registered surgery assistant" and "registered restorative assistant."
• Requires that each applicant for any of the new registration (licensure) categories, as part of their requirements, complete a Board approved postsecondary specialty registration program curricula and training.
• Redefines requirements for registration (licensure) as a registered dental assistant.  Requires, as a pre-requisite for registration (licensure) as a registered dental assistant, meeting the licensure requirements specified for the registered orthodontic, surgery, and restorative assistants and who satisfies applicable continuing education requirements established by the board.
• Allows the supervising dentist to determine the level of supervision for all "registered" dental assistant categories.
• Redefines the requirement that all "registered" dental assistant categories meet the continuing education requirements established by the board pursuant to Section 1645.
• Eliminates the RDA written and practical examination.

Section 1750.3-Adds New Duties to New Licensure Specialty Assistants

• Defines specific duties for each of the three new registration (licensure) categories.
• Registered orthodontic assistant will perform additional (not currently allowed) duties such as preparing teeth for bonding, prepositioning, curing  brackets/bands in a position approved by the supervising dentist.
• Registered oral surgery assistant will perform additional duties such as monitoring patients during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases, using noninvasive instrumentation such as pulse oximeters, electrocardiograms and capnography, taking impressions for surgical splints and occlusal guards, adding medications to intravenous lines, in the presence of a licensed dentist, removal of intravenous lines.
• Registered restorative assistant will perform additional duties such as taking impressions for space-maintaining appliances and occlusal guards, application of pit and fissure sealants (after completing a Board approved course).

Section 1753.1-New RDAEF duties

• Defines specific duties that can be performed by the registered dental assistant in extended functions and the registered restorative assistant in extended functions. New duties include: fitting and cementing stainless steel crowns, placing, condensing, and carving amalgam restorations, placing Class 1, 3, 5 composite restoration, taking facebow transfers and bite registrations for fixed prosthodontics, taking final impressions for tooth-borne removable prosthesis, placing and adjusting permanent crowns for cementation by the dentist.

Section 1770

• Increases the number of extended function auxiliaries a dentist may utilize simultaneously in his or her practice from two to three.

Section 1777

• Allows a registered dental assistant, registered in extended functions, and registered restorative assistant in extended functions to perform the following functions in a defined primary care or specialty clinic under the direct supervision of a registered dental hygienist, after examination and diagnosis by a licensed dentist: coronal polishing, application of topical fluoride and application of sealants.  This section goes into effect in 2005.

SB 1111

A new bill that has passed and will:

• Delay the implementation of SB 1546 until January 1, 2010
• Allow all RDAs to perform pit and fissure sealants after completing a 16 hour Dental Board approved course.