AB 836, as introduced, Skinner. Dentists: continuing education.
Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of dentists by the Dental Board of California. Existing law authorizes the board to require licentiates to complete continuing education hours as a condition of license renewal. Existing law authorizes the board to, by regulation, reduce the renewal fee for a licensee who has practiced dentistry for 20 years or more in this state, has reached the age of retirement under the federal Social Security Act, and customarily provides his or her services free of charge to any person, organization, or agency.
This bill would prohibit the board from requiring of those licensees more than 60% of the hours of continuing education that is required of other licensed dentists.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1645 of the Business and Professions
2Code is amended to read:
(a) Effective with the 1974 license renewal period, if
2the board determines that the public health and safety would be
3served by requiring all holders of licenses under this chapter to
4continue their education after receiving a license, it may require,
5as a condition to the renewal thereof, that they submit assurances
6satisfactory to the board that they will, during the succeeding
7two-year period, inform themselves of the developments in the
8practice of dentistry occurring since the original issuance of their
9licenses by pursuing one or more courses of study satisfactory to
10the board or by other means deemed equivalent by the board.
11The board shall adopt regulations providing for the suspension
12of the licenses at the end of the two-year period
until compliance
13with the assurances provided for in this section is accomplished.
14(b) The board may also, as a condition of license renewal,
15require licentiates to successfully complete a portion of the required
16continuing education hours in specific areas adopted in regulations
17by the board. The board may prescribe this mandatory coursework
18within the general areas of patient care, health and safety, and law
19and ethics. The mandatory coursework prescribed by the board
20shall not exceed fifteen hours per renewal period for dentists, and
21seven and one-half hours per renewal period for dental auxiliaries.
22Any mandatory coursework required by the board shall be credited
23toward the continuing education requirements established by the
24board pursuant to subdivision (a).
25(c) For a dentist described in
subdivision (a) of Section 1716.1,
26the board shall not require more than 60 percent of the hours of
27continuing education that is required of other licensed dentists.
28Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to reduce any
29requirements imposed by the board pursuant to subdivision (b).
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