By Isaiah Artis
On February 6 and 7, 2025, the Dental Board of California (DBC) held its board meeting in Central California at the California Department of Consumer Affairs in Sacramento, California. The Board focused on possible action regarding proposed regulations, updates on statistics and trends noted by the enforcement division, and recruitment for DBC’s Executive Officer.
Brant Nelson, DBC’s Legislative and Regulatory Specialist, provided a status update on pending regulations and possible action to initiate rulemaking to amend California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 16, section 1005, regarding minimum standards for infection control. Nelson stated that DBC currently has no pending regulations. The Board agreed to send the proposed text to amend CCR, Title 16, section 1005, to the working group to address several adverse comments about the text made at the Dental Hygiene Board of California meeting.
The Board unanimously passed a motion to initiate rulemaking to amend and repeal various sections of CCR, Title 16, regarding applications for dentist licensure and fees. The Board also unanimously passed a legislative proposal to amend Business and Professions Code section 1638.1 regarding elective facial cosmetic surgery permits. The Board’s 2024 Sunset Review Report identified issues with the Elective Facial Cosmetic Surgery (EFCS) permit qualifications. EFCS permits staff to recommend removing unnecessary language regarding the issuance of an unqualified permit and clarifying the permit category limitation. Additionally, the Board passed a legislative proposal to amend Business and Professions Code sections 1725, 1750, and 1753.52 and repeal Business and Professions Code sections 1754.5 and 1755 regarding dental assistant courses.
Ryan Blonien, DBC’s Enforcement Chief, reviewed the Enforcement Division’s statistics and trends. Between October 1 and December 31, 2024, the Complaint and Compliance Unit (CCU) received 897 complaints, and 488 complaint cases are open in CCU. Blonien explained that the Enforcement Division is currently in the process of hiring two sworn peace officers and two special investigators and hopes those positions will be filled by the next Board meeting.
Olivia Trejo, Chief of the Office of Human Resources, provided a verbal presentation on DBC’s job posting for executive officer, clarifying the recruitment and selection process. Trejo outlined the position’s duties and the desirable qualifications, experience, and special requirements of the role. All applicants will be screened; only the most qualified candidates will be scheduled for a preliminary interview. Finalists will be invited to an interview with the full Board at a meeting. The final filing date for this recruitment and the effective date of appointment have not yet been announced.