California Business And Professions Code Section 1757

(a) A registered dental assistant program shall receive board approval prior to operation. (1) In order for a registered dental assistant program to secure and maintain approval by the board, it shall meet the requirements of Section 1755 and the following requirements: (A) Programs approved on or after January 1, 2009, shall meet all of the requirements of this section. (B) Programs approved prior to January 1, 2009, shall meet all of the requirements of this section except as otherwise specified. Such a program shall continue to be approved only if it has certified to the board no later than April 30, 2009, on a form specified by the board, that it shall, no later than July 1, 2009, comply with all of the requirements of this section in providing instruction in all duties that registered dental assistants will be allowed to perform on and after January 1, 2010. The certification to the board shall contain the date on which the program will begin teaching those duties. (2) A program shall notify the board in writing if it wishes to increase the maximum student enrollment for which it is approved and shall provide whatever additional documentation the board requires to reapprove the program for the increased enrollment prior to accepting additional students. (3) The board may at any time conduct a thorough evaluation of an approved educational program`s curriculum and facilities to determine whether the program meets the requirements for continued approval. (4) The board may, in lieu of conducting its own investigation, accept the findings of any commission or accreditation agency approved by the board and adopt those findings as its own. (b) Programs shall have an advisory committee consisting of an equal number of registered dental assistants and dentists, including at least two registered dental assistants and two dentists, all currently licensed by the board. The advisory committee shall meet at least once each academic year with the program director, faculty, and appropriate institutional personnel to monitor the ongoing quality and performance of the program. Programs that admit students at different phases shall meet at least twice each year. (c) Adequate provision for the supervision and operation of the program shall be made. In addition to the requirements of Section 1755, the following requirements shall be met: (1) Each program faculty member shall have successfully completed a board-approved course in the application of pit and fissure sealants. (2) By January 1, 2010, each faculty member shall have completed a board-approved course in instructional methodology of at least 30 hours, unless he or she holds any one of the following: a postgraduate degree in education, a Ryan Designated Subjects Vocational Education Teaching Credential, a Standard Designated Subjects Teaching Credential, or, a Community College Teaching Credential. Each faculty member employed on or after January 1, 2010, shall complete a course in instructional methodology within six months of employment. (3) The program director shall have teaching responsibilities that are less than those of a full-time faculty member. He or she shall actively participate in and be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the program including the following: (A) Participating in budget preparation and fiscal administration, curriculum development and coordination, determination of teaching assignments, supervision and evaluation of faculty, establishment of mission criteria and procedures, design and operation of program facilities, and selection of extramural facilities and coordination of instruction in those facilities. (B) Holding periodic faculty meetings to provide for subject matter correlation and curriculum evaluation, and coordinating activities of full-time, part-time, and volunteer faculty. (C) Maintaining for not less than five years` copies of minutes of all advisory committee meetings. (4) The owner or school administrator shall be responsible for the compliance of the program director with the provisions of this section and Section 1755. (d) The program shall have sufficient financial resources available to support the program and to comply with this section. If the program or school requires approval by any other governmental agency, that approval shall be obtained prior to application to the board for approval and shall be maintained at all times. The failure to maintain that approval shall result in the automatic withdrawal of board approval of the program. (e) The program shall be of sufficient duration for the student to develop minimum competence in performing dental assistant and registered dental assistant duties, but in no event less than 800 hours, including at least 275 hours of didactic instruction, at least 260 hours of laboratory instruction, and at least 85 hours of preclinical and clinical instruction conducted in the program`s facilities under the direct supervision of program faculty. No more than 20 hours shall be devoted to instruction in clerical, administrative, practice management, or similar duties. A program approved prior to January 1, 2009, shall comply with board regulations with regard to required program hours until the date specified in the written certification from the program to the board that it will begin teaching the duties that registered dental assistants will be authorized to perform on and after January 1, 2010. (f) In addition to the requirements of Section 1755 with regard to extramural instruction, no more than 25 percent of the required clinical instruction shall take place in extramural clinical facilities, and no more than 25 percent of extramural clinical instruction shall take place in a speciality dental practice. (g) Facilities and class scheduling shall provide each student with sufficient opportunity, with instructor supervision, to develop minimum competency in all duties that registered dental assistants are authorized to perform. The following requirements are in addition to those contained in Section 1755: (1) The following are minimum requirements for equipment and armamentaria during laboratory, preclinical, and clinical sessions as appropriate to each type of session and in ratios specified in Section 1070.2 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations: amalgamator, model trimmers, dental rotary equipment, vibrators, light curing devices, functional typodont and bench mounts, functional orthodontically banded typodonts, facebows, automated blood pressure device, EKG machine, pulse oximeters, capnograph or simulated device, sets of hand instruments for each procedure, respiration device, camera for intraoral use, camera for extraoral use, CAD machine or simulated device, caries detection device, and all other equipment and armamentaria required to teach dental assistant and registered dental assistant duties. (2) One permanently preassembled tray for each procedure shall be provided for reference purposes. (3) Provision shall be made for reasonable access to current and diverse dental and medical reference texts, current journals, audiovisual materials, and other necessary resources. Library holdings, which may include access through the Internet, shall include materials relating to all subject areas of the program curriculum. (4) Emergency materials shall include, but not be limited to, an oxygen tank that is readily available and functional. Medical materials for treating patients with life-threatening conditions shall be available for instruction and accessible to the operatories. Facilities that do not treat patients shall maintain a working model of a kit of such emergency materials for instructional purposes. (h) The curriculum shall be established, reviewed, and amended as necessary to allow for changes in the practice of dentistry and registered dental assisting. Programs that admit students in phases shall provide students with basic instruction prior to participation in any other portion of the program that shall, at a minimum, include tooth anatomy, tooth numbering, general program guidelines and safety precautions, and infection control and sterilization protocols associated with and required for patient treatment. All programs shall provide students with additional instruction in the infection control regulations and guidelines of the board and Cal-DOSH prior to the student`s performance of procedures on patients. (i) (1) A program approved prior to January 1, 2009, shall comply with board regulations with regard to program content until the date specified in the written certification from the program to the board, as specified in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), after which time the program content shall meet the requirements of paragraph (2). (2) Programs receiving initial approval on or after January 1, 2009, shall meet all the requirements of Section 1755, and subdivisions (j) and (k) of this section, and shall include the following additional content: (A) A radiation safety course that meets all of the requirements of the regulations of the board. (B) A coronal polishing course that meets all of the requirements of the regulations of the board. (C) A pit and fissure sealant course that meets all of the requirements of the regulations of the board. (D) A course in basic life support provided by an instructor approved by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association, or any other course approved by the board as equivalent. (3) On and after January 1, 2009, a program that desires to provide instruction in the following areas shall apply separately for approval to provide the following courses: (A) A course in the removal of excess cement with an ultrasonic scaler, which course shall meet the requirements of the regulations of the board. (B) An orthodontic assistant permit course that shall meet the requirements of Section 1756.1, except that a program shall not be required to obtain separate approval to teach the duties of placing ligature ties and archwires, removing orthodontic bands, and removing excess cement from surfaces of teeth with a hand instrument. Notwithstanding Section 1756.1, an orthodontic assistant permit course provided by a registered dental assistant program, to the students enrolled in such program, shall be no less than 60 hours, including at least 12 hours of didactic instruction, at least 26 hours of preclinical instruction, and at least 22 hours of clinical instruction. (C) A dental sedation assistant permit course that shall meet the requirements of Section 1756.2. (j) General didactic instruction shall include, at a minimum, the following: (1) Principles of general anatomy, physiology, oral embryology, tooth histology, and head-neck anatomy. (2) Principles of abnormal conditions related to and including oral pathology, orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral surgery, prosthodontics, and esthetic dentistry. (3) Legal requirements and ethics related to scope of practice, unprofessional conduct, and, patient records and confidentiality. (4) Principles of infection control and hazardous communication requirements in compliance with the board`s regulations and other federal, state, and local requirements. (5) Principles and federal, state, and local requirements related to pharmacology. (6) Principles of medical-dental emergencies and first aid management, including symptoms and treatment. (7) Principles of the treatment planning process including medical health history data collection, patient and staff confidentiality, and charting. (8) Principles of record classifications including management, storage, and retention protocol for all dental records. (9) Principles and protocols of special needs patient management. (10) Principles, protocols, and armamentaria associated with all dental assisting chairside procedures. (11) Principles, protocols, manipulation, use, and armamentaria for dental materials. (12) Principles and protocols for oral hygiene preventative methods including, plaque identification, toothbrushing and flossing techniques, and nutrition. (13) Principles, protocols, armamentaria, and procedures associated with operative and specialty dentistry. (14) Principles, protocols, armamentaria, and procedures for each duty that dental assistants and registered dental assistants are allowed to perform. (k) Laboratory and clinical instruction shall be of sufficient duration and content for each student to achieve minimum competence in the performance of each procedure that dental assistant and registered dental assistant is authorized to perform. (l) Each student shall pass a written examination that reflects the curriculum content, which may be administered at intervals throughout the course as determined by the course director. (m) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2011, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2011, deletes or extends that date.