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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 a training course approved by the Arizona State Board
of Dental Examiners (BODEX) and outlines OPA scope of practice.
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 training course provided by a qualifying institution that contains 120 hours of didactic and clinical instruction with patients.
2. Requires a dental assistant, prior to taking an OPA training course, to:
a) hold a current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
b) hold a BODEX-approved certification for both coronal polishing and radiography; and
c) either hold a current national board certification in dental assisting or have successfully completed a dental assisting educational program accredited by a state or national organization that accredits dental programs.
3. Limits the scope of practice of an OPA to the removal of plaque, calculus and stains with scalers or sonic or ultrasonic scaling devices.
4. Limits OPAs to the treatment of periodontally healthy patients or patients with localized mild gingivitis who have first received a periodontal evaluation by a dentist or dental hygienist.
5. Prohibits an OPA from using an air polishing device or practicing on patients who:
a) have been treated for periodontal disease;
b) have generalized recession;
c) are medically compromised; or
d) are under sedation.
6. Requires an OPA providing coronal calculus removal services to:
a) inform each patient and document in the patient's medical record that the dental care was not provided by a licensed dental provider; and
b) prominently post the OPA's certification at the location where the procedure is performed.
7. Requires OPAs to practice only under the direct supervision of a dentist or dental hygienist.
8. Restricts a dentist from supervising more than three OPAs at any time and a dental hygienist from supervising more than one OPA at any time.
9. Specifies that any dentist or dental hygienist who allows an OPA to perform coronal calculus removal services outside statutory authority has committed unprofessional conduct.
10. 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.
11. 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, 2029.
12. Repeals the OPA data reporting requirement on July 1, 2029.
13. Defines qualifying institution as an institution of higher education, including a community college, that provides a dental or dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
14. 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.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Requires the BODEX-approved OPA training course to be provided by a qualifying institution and contain 120 hours of didactic and clinical instruction with patients.
2. Requires a dental assistant, prior to taking an OPA training course, to:
a) hold a current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
b) hold a BODEX-approved certification for both coronal polishing and radiography; and
c) either hold a current national board certification in dental assisting or have successfully completed a dental assisting educational program accredited by a state or national organization that accredits dental programs.
3. Removes the requirement that an OPA's first five years of practice in Arizona be limited to federally designated healthcare provider shortage areas or counties with fewer than 250,000 people.
4. Limits the scope of practice of an OPA to removing plaque, calculus and stains with scalers or sonic or ultrasonic scaling devices on periodontally healthy patients or patients with localized mild gingivitis who have first received a periodontal evaluation by a dentist or dental hygienist.
5. Prohibits an OPA from using an air polishing device or practicing on patients who have been treated for periodontal disease, have generalized recession, are medically compromised or are under sedation.
6. Requires an OPA providing coronal calculus removal services to:
a) inform each patient and document in a patient's medical record that the dental care was not provided by a licensed dental provider; and
b) prominently post the OPA's certification where the procedure is performed.
7. Allows a dental hygienist to supervise the practice of an OPA but limits supervision to no more than one OPA at a time.
8. Specifies that any dentist or dental hygienist who allows an OPA to perform coronal calculus removal services outside statutory authority has committed unprofessional conduct.
9. Defines qualifying institution.
10. Extends the BODEX data reporting deadline from January 1, 2028, to January 1, 2029.
11. Extends the repeal of the OPA data reporting requirement from July 1, 2028, to July 1, 2029.
Senate Action
HHS 1/29/25 DPA 5-1-1
Prepared by Senate Research
February 25, 2025
MM/AO/slp