Registered dental assistants: practical examination.

Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered dental assistants by the Dental Board of California. The act authorizes the board to license a person as a registered dental assistant if he or she meets certain requirements, including a written and practical examination. Existing law requires the Dental Board of California, in consultation with the Office of Professional Examination Services, to conduct a review to determine on or before July 1, 2017, whether a practical examination is necessary to demonstrate the competency of registered dental assistants. Existing law authorizes the board to vote to suspend the practical examination if the review concludes that the practical examination is unnecessary or does not accurately measure the competency of registered dental assistants. Under existing law, the suspension of the practical examination commences on the date the board votes to suspend the practical examination and continues until July 1, 2017. If the board votes to suspend the practical examination, the board is required to post a notice on its Internet Web site. This bill would instead extend that suspension date until January 1, 2020, or until the board determines an alternative way to measure competency, whichever occurs first. The bill would also require the board to post an updated suspension date notice. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.