AB 1257: Dentistry: Dental Hygiene Board of California: Dental hygienists: Examinations and licensure.

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 consist of 9 members, and requires 7 members to be appointed by the Governor, one to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and one to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. Existing law authorizes the Governor to remove any member of the board, as specified. Existing law repeals those provisions on January 1, 2024, at which time the board is subject to review by the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature.

This bill would instead authorize an appointing authority to remove a member of the board appointed by that appointing authority, as specified. This bill would also extend the repeal date of the board and related appointment provisions to January 1, 2028.

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.

Under this bill, graduation from a California accredited dental hygiene college approved by the board within the preceding 3 years satisfies the requirement for satisfactory performance 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 additionally require an applicant for licensure as a registered dental hygienist to maintain a current, valid certification in basic life support, as prescribed.

Under existing law, the board, as a condition of license renewal, shall require a licensee to successfully complete a portion of the required continuing education hours in specific areas adopted in regulations by the board. Under existing law, the mandatory coursework prescribed by the board shall not exceed 7 ¹/₂ hours per renewal period.

This bill would authorize the board to increase the prescribed mandatory coursework to 10 hours per renewal period.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate health facilities. Existing law requires the board to license and regulate registered dental hygienists, registered dental hygienists in extended functions, and registered dental hygienists in alternative practice, who have varying levels of education and training requirements and varying privileges within the scope of their respective practice. Existing law authorizes a person licensed as a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to provide oral health inservice training to staff in a long-term health care facility.

This bill would instead authorize a person licensed as a registered dental hygienist to provide the above-described training.