Bill > AB873

This bill provides comprehensive updates to the California Dental Practice Act, focusing primarily on dental assistants and their training requirements. The bill modifies several key provisions related to infection control courses, radiation safety training, and the scope of duties for dental assistants. Specifically, the bill requires employers to ensure dental assistants complete an eight-hour infection control course within 60 days of employment, expands the types of courses that can be used to meet this requirement, and allows for more flexible training delivery methods, including online and video-based learning. The bill also updates requirements for radiation safety courses, broadens the procedures that registered dental assistants in extended functions can perform (such as polishing existing amalgam restorations), and establishes more detailed guidelines for course approval, including provisions for provisional approval and periodic reevaluation of training programs. Additionally, the bill aims to address workforce challenges in dental training, particularly in rural and remote areas, by providing more accessible and adaptable training options while maintaining rigorous standards for infection control and patient safety.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB873