The Dental Board of California today notified licensees with general anesthesia, conscious sedation and oral conscious sedation for minors permits expiring in 2022 that they “must renew their permits by December 31, 2021, in order to continue to practice under the existing terms of the permits beyond the scheduled 2022 expiration date."

California dentists can take a new online course that meets the requirements for opioid use disorder training for licensure. “Responsibilities and Requirements for Prescribing Controlled Substances (Schedule II Opioid Drugs),” is eligible for 2 units of C.E. and is available to CDA members for a substantially discounted price. 

Updated Sept. 1, 2022: California-licensed dentists can now apply for the new general anesthesia/deep sedation, moderate sedation and pediatric minimal sedation permits through the dental board's online licensing system BreEZe. 

CDA recently hosted a webinar with its Endorsed Services partner iCoreConnect to help dentists understand the process of transitioning from written and phoned-in prescriptions to electronic prescriptions by the state's Jan. 1 deadline. Here CDA answers questions members submitted during the webinar. 
 

A scam targeting dentists is flaring up again. CDA Practice Support heard last week from a member dentist whose associate received a call from a fraudster posing as a California dental board official. The caller told the associate her dental license had been suspended for suspicious drug activity in Texas and Mexico.  

The Dental Board of California is undergoing its sunset review in the state Legislature. In Assembly Bill 1519, authored by the Assembly Business and Professions Committee, the dental board provides a status update to the Legislature and identifies opportunities for improvement. CDA has particular interest in three areas of the dental board’s sunset review bill, including clarifying how an applicant can obtain a new license after their initial license has expired.

A new year means updated regulations for California dentists to follow. It also means guidance and new resources from CDA. Members are invited to take CDA's newest Practice Health Check to gauge their compliance with regulations as the new year begins.

At the direction of the 2018 CDA House of Delegates, CDA has been working with the Dental Board of California to better understand the scope of practice for general dentists as it relates to the use of cosmetic agents such as Botox and dermal fillers. The house directed CDA to take this action to clear up confusion that arose from the creation of the Elective Facial Cosmetic Surgery permit as it relates to the scope of cosmetic services general dentists may provide.

CDA members can rely on CDA Practice Support’s “Are You In Compliance?” webpage for details about current and future laws and regulations that apply to dental practices. Entries span all areas of dental practice, from employment practices to general business.

As of Jan. 1, 2022, California-licensed dentists who administer or order the administration of general anesthesia, moderate sedation and minimal sedation are subject to new requirements under legislation signed into law in 2018. Dentists can now apply for the new permits.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 8 signed into law CDA-sponsored legislation that allows California-licensed dentists to apply for the requisite laboratory licensure to administer rapid COVID-19 tests in the dental office. The new law also gives dentists permanent authority to administer FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Changes in continuing education regulations are coming for California dentists beginning Jan. 1, 2023, including mandated C.E. that covers the responsibilities and requirements of prescribing Schedule II opioid drugs. 
 

Dental board licensees are required to maintain their continuing education certificates for up to three renewal periods (six years). But if you’re a licensee and you receive a C.E. audit in the mail, what happens next? C.E. audits are done on a randomized basis and are not punitive. The dental board audits 1% of the active licensing population each year.

As the Dental Board of California continues to navigate its first full renewal cycle for the newly established anesthesia and sedation permits, two new implementation issues have been identified for the moderate sedation permit and have prompted CDA advocacy.

Dentists and other health care practitioners in California who issue 100 or fewer prescriptions in a calendar year could receive an exemption from the state’s existing law requiring practitioners to electronically prescribe all medications. 

Dentists who have hired an out-of-state-trained dental assistant and would like to enable that assistant to become a licensed RDA in California now have a simplified resource to help with that process. The new resource, available at cda.org/practicesupport, clearly defines the two paths that a dental assistant can follow to become a California-licensed dental assistant.

CDA reminds dentists that the California Dental Practice Act permits the use of Botox only when used as part of a comprehensive dental treatment plan and for one of the purposes defined in section 1625 of the state’s Business and Professions Code. 

On May 24, 2018, the Registered Dental Assistant Written and Registered Dental Assistant Law and Ethics examinations are expected to launch as a single combined exam. The Dental Board of California and the Dental Assisting Council in a December 2016 meeting agreed to take this action to “ensure that the combined examination is legally defensible and meets the requirements of Business and Professions Code Section 139.”

The California Department of Consumer Affairs on Jan. 11 reinstated a waiver that temporarily lets dental professionals in California count recorded lectures as live continuing education as long as the courses are web-based and allow participants to interact with the presenter in real time.

Beginning June 1, the National Supplier Clearinghouse began sending letters to Medicare-enrolled dentists notifying them that a surety bond of at least $50,000 per office location may be required to initiate or continue their Medicare enrollment as a supplier of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthodontics and supplies. Prior to 2019, dentists were exempt from this rule.