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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
dental board; oral preventive assistants
Purpose
Establishes a pathway for dental assistants to practice as oral preventative assistants (OPA) upon completion of an expanded functions training course approved by the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners (BODEX).
Background
Current statute allows dental assistants to expose radiographs for dental diagnostic purposes, under the general supervision of a dentist or the direct supervision of a dental hygienist, if the dental assistant has passed a BODEX-approved examination. Similarly, dental assistants may polish the natural and restored surfaces of teeth under the general supervision of a dentist or the direct supervision of a dental hygienist, if the dental assistant has passed a BODEX-approved examination (A.R.S. § 32-1291).
A dental assistant is any person who acts as an assistant to a dentist, dental therapist or dental hygienist by rendering personal services to a patient that involve close proximity to the patient while the patient is under treatment or observation or undergoing diagnostic procedures (A.R.S. § 32-1201).
An OPA is a type of expanded function dental assistant who has taken the required education and completed training to provide patients with additional preventive services and assist hygienists with preventive care practices. OPAs remove hard build up on visible, healthy teeth or on patients with reversible gum inflammation (American Dental Association).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires a dental assistant seeking to practice as an OPA to complete a BODEX-approved OPA expanded functions training course.
2. Requires a dental assistant, prior to enrolling in an OPA expanded functions training course, to:
a) complete a BODEX-approved course containing didactic and hand skills assessment; and
b) be certified as a dental assistant by a BODEX-approved certification program.
3. Limits the practice of an OPA, in the first five years of licensure, to only federally designated health provider shortage areas or counties with fewer than 250,000 people.
4. Limits the scope of practice of an OPA to performing supragingival scaling and polishing for the treatment of periodontally healthy patients or patients with reversible gingivitis who have first received a periodontal evaluation by a dentist or dental hygienist.
5. Requires OPAs to practice only under the direct supervision of a dentist.
6. Restricts a dentist from supervising more than three OPAs at any time.
7. Requires BODEX to coordinate with a statewide association representing dentists in Arizona to collect data regarding the:
a) number of OPAs practicing in Arizona;
b) location of each OPA's practice; and
c) number of complaints filed against dentists pertaining to OPAs.
8. Requires BODEX to report the collected OPA data to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Secretary of State by January 1, 2028.
9. Repeals the OPA data reporting requirement on July 1, 2028.
10. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1. Limits an OPA's scope of practice to performing supragingival scaling and polishing on patients who have first received a periodontal evaluation by a dentist or dental hygienist.
2. Removes taking and recording periodontal probe readings and documenting areas of periodontal concern from an OPA's scope of practice.
3. Requires OPAs to practice only under the direct supervision of a dentist.
4. Restricts a dentist from supervising more than three OPAs at any time.
5. Requires BODEX to coordinate with a statewide association representing dentists in Arizona to collect specified data regarding OPAs and report the information to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and Secretary of State by January 1, 2028.
Senate Action
HHS 1/29/25 DPA 5-1-1
Prepared by Senate Research
January 29, 2025
MM/AO/slp