Dental Board of California Publishes Notice on Proposed Regulatory Actions Concerning Dental Assisting Exams

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By Lam, Shun Fung

On April 23, 2024, the Dental Board of California (DBC) published notice of its intent to update current dental assisting examination regulations to reflect current laws and procedures and ensure that they reflect minimum standards for passing scores recommended by OPES, as outlined in the proposed language. According to the initial statement of reasons, the proposed regulations are the Board’s efforts to exercise its rulemaking power to amend 1080, 1080.3, 1081, and 1081.2, adopt sections 1081.3 and 1081.4, and repeal sections 1080.1, 1080.2, 1081.1, 1082, 1082.1, 1082.3, and 1083 in Article 4 of Chapter 3 of Division 10 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations. The initial statement of reasons further states that the “updated regulations will be a more useful tool for the Board, examination applicants and licensees, and the public by providing a more accurate overview of the Board’s dental assisting examinations and associated procedures.”

The proposed changes are lengthy and primarily administrative, but some highlights are as listed here: (1) shortening the 60-day time frame for unsuccessful candidates to appeal based on specific errors to 15 days; (2) implementing OPES’ recommendation for criterion-referenced passing scores in lieu of a particular passing score; and (3) specifying exam content areas, tasks and associated knowledge statements. DBC states that new methodology and changes will affect the health and welfare of Californians because they will make dental assisting examinations consistent with current law, incorporate minimum standards for exam validation and exam passing score methodology, and strengthen consumer protection.

The proposed Dental Assistant Written Examination Outline details a three-part test covering patient education, treatment preparation, and record review, among a slew of other technical areas the new exam is aimed at testing. The Board predicts that its one-time contract with OPES to complete the four occupational analyses will cost $180,000 and will not result in costs or savings in federal funds for the state.

The public comment period closed on August 27, 2024. Any comments received will likely be discussed at the Board’s November meeting. More information is available at https://www.dbc.ca.gov/.

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