Healing arts: foreign dental schools.

Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of dentists and dental assistants by the Dental Board of California. Existing law requires the board to grant a license to practice dentistry, and to register as a licensed dentist on the board register, a person who successfully passes a specified examination. Notwithstanding that provision, existing law authorizes the board to grant a license to practice dentistry to an applicant who submits specified information to the board including, among other things, satisfactory evidence of having graduated from a dental school approved by a national accrediting body approved by the board or by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. This bill would remove the authority to grant a license to an applicant who submits evidence of having graduated from a dental school approved by a national accreditation body approved by the board. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, makes the board responsible for the approval of foreign dental schools based upon standards established by the board, as specified. Existing law authorizes the board to contract with outside consultants or a national professional organization to survey and evaluate foreign dental schools and requires the board to establish a technical advisory group to review and comment on the survey and evaluation of a foreign dental school pursuant to any contract before final action by the board regarding certification of the foreign dental school. Existing law provides that any foreign dental school that wishes to be approved to apply to the board. Existing law requires that periodic surveys and evaluations of all approved schools be made to ensure continued compliance with these provisions. Existing law requires a school to pay a registration fee or a renewal fee, as applicable. Exiting law requires a fully approved school to submit a renewal application every 7 years and specifies that an approval that is not renewed automatically expires. This bill would delete the January 1, 2024, repeal date, thereby making the provisions described above operative indefinitely. Existing law prohibits the board, from January 1, 2020, until January 1, 2024, from accepting new applications for schools seeking approval as a foreign dental school and instead requires the applicant to successfully complete the international consultative and accreditation process with the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or a comparable accrediting body approved by the board. Existing law requires that, by January 1, 2024, in order for a school to remain an approved foreign dental school, that it successfully complete the international consultative and accreditation process with the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or a comparable accrediting body approved by the board. This bill would delete those provisions. Existing law, to become operative on January 1, 2024, requires a school seeking approval as a foreign dental school to have successfully completed the international consultative and accreditation process with the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or a comparable accrediting body approved by the board and specifies that graduates of a foreign dental school whose programs were approved at the time of graduation are eligible for licensure. This bill would repeal those provisions.