Candidates for (RDA) licensure must complete and pass a combined (RDA) General and Law and Ethics Written Exam (Dental Board of California, 2023d). Initial licensure: Registered dental assistants in extended functions Section 1753 of the Dental Practice Act states that an RDAEF must submit written evidence to the board of all the following eligibility requirements: ● Current licensure as an RDA or completion of the requirements for licensure as an RDA. ● Successful completion of a board-approved course in the application of pit and fissure sealants. ● Successful completion of either of the following: ○ An extended functions postsecondary program approved by the Board. ○ An extended functions postsecondary program approved by the Board to teach the duties that RDAEFs were allowed to perform prior to January 1, 2010, and a course approved by the Board in the procedures numbered (1), (2), (5), and (7) to (11) of the RDAEF duties specified in Section 1753.5. On september 28, 2021, California Governor Newsome signed Senate Bill (SB) 607, which removed the clinical and/ or practical exam requirement to become a RDAEF, effective January 1, 2022 (Dental Board of California, 2023e). treatment plan. An RDH who practices in a public health program may also apply fluoride and pit and fissure sealants without supervision (California Dental Practice Act, 2021b). Sections 1909 and 1910 of the Dental Practice Act delineate the procedures that an RDH may perform under direct versus general supervision of a licensed dentist. An RDH may perform the following procedures under direct supervision of a licensed dentist after submitting evidence to the Dental Hygiene Board of California of satisfactory completion of an approved course of instruction in the procedure: (1) soft-tissue curettage; (2) administration of local anesthesia; and (3) administration of nitrous oxide and oxygen, whether administered alone or in combination with each other. General supervision is required for (1) preventive and therapeutic interventions, including oral prophylaxis, scaling, and root planing; (2) application of topical, therapeutic, and subgingival agents used for the control of caries and periodontal disease; (3) taking impressions for bleaching trays and application and activation of agents with nonlaser, light-curing devices; and (4) taking impressions for bleaching trays and placement of in-office tooth-whitening devices (California Dental Practice Act, 2020i; Casetext, 2023). Initial licensure According to Section 1917 of the Dental Practice Act, the Dental Hygiene Board of California grants initial licensure as a registered dental hygienist to a person who satisfies all of the following requirements: ● Completion of an educational program for RDHs, approved by the Dental Hygiene Board, accredited by CODA, and conducted by a degree-granting, postsecondary institution. ● Within the preceding three years, satisfactory completion of the dental hygiene examination given by WREB or any other clinical or dental hygiene examination approved by the Dental Hygiene Board. ● Satisfactory completion of the National Dental Hygiene Board examination. ● Satisfactory completion of the California Law and Ethics examination as prescribed by the Dental Hygiene Board.
program in a postsecondary institution approved by the Department of Education or in a secondary institution, regional occupational center, or regional occupational program, even if it is not specifically approved by the Board. The credit shall equal the total weeks spent in classroom training and internship on a week-for-week basis. Graduates of programs not meeting established minimum criteria shall not qualify for satisfactory work experience as defined by this section.. Each applicant for RDA licensure must provide evidence of having successfully completed Board-approved courses in radiation safety and coronal polishing as a condition of licensure. The length and content of the courses is governed by applicable board regulations. In addition, individuals applying for RDA licensure must demonstrate satisfactory performance on the Registered Dental Assistant Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination administered by the Board and provide written evidence of successful completion within five years prior to application of all of the following: ● A Board-approved course in the Dental Practice Act. ● A Board-approved course in infection control (eight hours). ● A course in bls offered by an instructor approved by the ARC or the AHA, or any other course approved by the Board as equivalent (California Dental Practice Act, 2020g). Statutes and regulations specifically define the duties that each category of hygienist is allowed to perform, the level of dentist supervision required, and the settings in which the duties may be performed. The Dental Board of California does not provide a duty table for dental hygienists. The practice of dental hygiene is defined as including “dental hygiene assessment and development, planning, and implementation of a dental hygiene care plan. It also includes oral health education, counseling, and health screenings” (American Dental Hygienists’ Association, 2023). The practice of dental hygiene does not include: ● Diagnosis and comprehensive treatment planning. ● Placing, condensing, carving, or removing permanent restorations. ● Surgery or cutting on hard and soft tissue—including, but not limited to, the removal of teeth. ● Cutting and suturing soft tissue. ● Prescribing medication. ● Administering local or general anesthesia or oral or parenteral conscious sedation; however, nitrous oxide and oxygen (whether administered alone or in combination with each other) or local anesthesia may be administered by a dental hygienist if he or she has been trained in these procedures and performs such procedures under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist after submitting evidence of satisfactory completion of an approved course of study to the Dental Hygiene Board. (California Dental Practice Act, 2020i) An RDH may provide, without supervision, educational services, oral health training programs, and oral health screenings (California Dental Practice Act, 2021b). Unless otherwise specified by law, an RDH may perform any procedure or provide any service within the scope of his or her practice in any setting, as long as the procedure is performed or the service is provided under the appropriate level of supervision required. He or she must refer any screened patients with possible oral abnormalities to a dentist for a comprehensive examination, diagnosis, and Registered dental hygienists Scope of practice
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