As we roll into Fall, there continues to be a lot of legislative activity. The legislators are back from their summer break, and everyone has hit the ground running.

The implications of SB 1453-the Sunset bill for the DBC- continues to be a work in progress with getting regulations in place to reflect the new requirements contained in the bill. AB 873, which was introduced in February, to add time for the unlicensed dental assistants to take the 8-hour infection control class, has been killed. This bill was asking for a 90-day delay for the unlicensed dental assistants to take the required 8-hour IC course. As you may recall, SB 1453’s language was approved and signed into law in November 2024. The language stated the 8-hour IC course shall be taken prior to exposure of blood or other potentially infectious materials. That language of “prior to exposure” aligns with OSHA’s language. This detail, we suspect, will re-appear in a new bill sometime soon, but currently there is nothing that we are aware of regarding this specific issue.

However, there was new legislation presented at the DAC/DBC July board meeting from board staff. The proposed legislation would eliminate the dental board from approving dental assisting educational programs and courses and have an outside agency take over that role. The implications to educational programs and course providers approved by the dental board of CA are critical. There were 9 entities introduced at the last board meeting August 14th, 2025, in Sacramento. A number of the proposed agencies are not specific to dentistry but approve campuses.

There is a DAC (dental assisting council workgroup) virtual meeting scheduled September 18th at 1PM. All stakeholders (those in dentistry, all roles and responsibilities, those who are not, and the general public) are invited to participate. This workgroup meeting will explore options introduced in the DBC meeting materials for the July 14th meeting, Agenda item 8. As this is a virtual meeting, the link along with additional details, along with the Microsoft Teams link and the Agenda item 8, can be found on the DBC website and by clicking on the link below.

This issue has potential to change the face of dental assisting. Please read through the proposed language. If you can attend, please have your thoughts and suggestions organized. If you cannot attend, please email your suggestions to: sharibeckerrda@gmail.com

Please visit the Dental Board website at www.dbc.ca.gov for more information. Meeting information, agenda, location and board materials can be found here https://www.dbc.ca.gov/about_us/meetings/index.shtml

Upcoming Dental Board meeting dates are:
November 6-7 , 2025 Sacramento

Resources / Links

California Dental Assistants Association (CDAA)

American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA)

Dental Board of California (DBC)

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

Association for Dental Asepsic (formerly known as OSAP)

Expanded Functions Dental Assistants Association (EFDAA)

Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)

California Dental Hygienist Association (CDHA)

Center for Disease Control (CDC)

California Dental Association (CDA)