A bill introduced to the California Legislature on Feb. 16 would expand treatments dental assistants are authorized to perform under the supervision of a dentist.
AB 2276, introduced by Assembly member Wendy Carrillo, would add a section to the state's Business and Professions Code. It would allow dental assistants to polish the coronal surfaces of teeth and apply pit and fissure sealants while being supervised by a licensed dentist.
Dental assistants would have to complete and show proof of specific board-approved training to perform the treatments. In addition to completing a course in the specific treatment they want to perform, dental assistants would have to complete a two-hour course in the state's Dental Practice Act and an eight-hour course in infection control.