Marc Berman

Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of dental hygienists by the Dental Hygiene Board of California. Existing law requires the board to license as a registered dental hygienist a person who satisfies specified requirements, including completion of a prescribed education program, satisfactory completion of an examination in California law and ethics, and satisfactory performance, within the preceding 3 years, of the dental hygiene examination given by the Western Regional Examining Board or any other clinical or dental hygiene examination approved by the board.

This bill would require the board to license as a registered dental hygienist an applicant who has successfully completed the dental hygiene examination given by the American Board of Dental Examiners and submitted an application and appropriate fees. The bill would require the board to certify an individual as eligible to take that dental hygiene examination if they have earned a degree from a nonaccredited dental school and they meet certain other requirements. Among those requirements, the bill would include submission of verification of their degree's equivalence, as specified, satisfactory completion of specified examinations within the 5 years preceding application, and satisfactory completion of certain coursework, including, among other things, a board-approved course in soft-tissue curettage, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide-oxygen analgesia, within the 2 years preceding application. The bill would deem an individual eligible to enroll in a board-approved course in soft-tissue curettage, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide-oxygen analgesia if they have otherwise satisfied certain verification, examination, and coursework requirements, as specified.