BILL ANALYSIS
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|Hearing Date:June 8, 2009 |Bill No:AB |
| |403 |
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SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, PROFESSIONS
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, Chair
Bill No: AB 403Author:Fuller
As Amended:March 25, 2009 Fiscal: Yes
SUBJECT: Dental Hygienists: examinations and licensure.
SUMMARY: Revises the examination requirements for registered dental
hygienists.
Existing law:
1)Establishes the Dental Hygiene Committee of California (Committee)
within the Dental Board of California to regulate the practice of
registered dental hygienists (RDH).
2)Requires, effective July 1, 2009, the Committee to license an RDH
who satisfies all of the following:
a) Completion of an educational program for RDH, approved by the
Committee, accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation,
and conducted by a degree-granting, postsecondary institution.
b) Satisfactory performance on a clinical examination and an
examination in California law and ethics as prescribed by the
Committee.
c) Satisfactory completion of a national written dental hygiene
examination approved by the Committee.
This bill:
1)Revises the state clinical examination requirement for licensure of
an RDH to include completion of the dental hygiene examination given
by the Western Regional Examining Board (WREB) or any other clinical
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dental hygiene examination approved by the Committee.
2)Clarifies that satisfactory completion of an examination offered by
the National Dental Hygiene Board satisfies the national testing
examination requirement for licensure.
3)Makes other technical, non-substantive changes.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee
there is no direct fiscal impact to the Dental Board of California to
continue oversight of exams for dental hygienists.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose. According to the Sponsor of this bill, the California
Dental Hygienists Association , this measure gives dental hygienists,
consistent with the national trend and the contemporary manner of
licensure, the option of taking the WREB clinical examination
instead of the California examination to fulfill the clinical part
of licensure requirement. It states that this bill does not get rid
of the California examination for those who choose to take it; it
gives dental hygienists the opportunity to take the more widely
accepted WREB, which increases the portability for hygienists
wanting to enter the state of California to practice and those
desiring to move elsewhere. The California Dental Hygienists
Association argues that there is always a need for hygiene services,
especially in the rural underserved communities of California,
including skilled nursing facilities and clinics.
2.Background. Current law requires that a dental hygienist must
complete an educational program for RDH, pass a clinical examination
and an examination in California law and ethics, and complete a
national written dental hygiene examination as approved by the
Committee. This bill revises the clinical examination requirements
to give dental hygienists the option of completing an examination
offered by WREB or any other clinical dental hygiene examination as
approved by the Committee. According to its Website, WREB is a
national dental and dental hygiene testing agency. California is
currently in the minority of states that does not recognize regional
testing examinations for dental hygienists, and the Sponsor argues
that by accepting WREB in addition to the state exam, it increases
the portability and opportunities for dental hygienists. The
Sponsor points out that Oregon, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Idaho,
Alaska, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, Wyoming, Missouri,
and Kansas use WREB to administer their dental hygiene clinical
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examination.
3.Prior Related Legislation. SB 1865 (Aanestad), Chapter 670,
Statutes of 2004, allowed applicants of dental licensure in
California to take written examinations administered by the WREB.
4.Arguments in Support. The California Dental Association writes in
support of this bill and indicates that this measure aligns
licensure options for dental hygienists with those of dentists and
will allow for increased mobility of dental hygienists by removing a
potential barrier for hygienists from other states to practice in
California.
SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION:
Support:
California Dental Hygienists Association (Sponsor)
California Dental Association
Opposition:
None on file as of June 2, 2009
Consultant:Rosielyn Pulmano