Regarding Item 4, Article XVII, section E of the dental practice act states: upon receipt of one or more of the 4 expanded function permits available within Arkansas, a dental assistant can then be considered a registered dental assistant with the board. The path of completion is clearly defined regarding expanded function permits pertaining to administration of nitrous oxide and sedation monitoring with state recognized courses or exams. However, for the expanded duties of radiography and coronal polishing, an “on the job training” route presents, widely known and recognized by the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners, as option B on the application for registration as a dental assistant in the state. This “on the job training” refers to an education course as approved by the board and proof of competency from an Arkansas licensed dentist (alluded to, but not directly written in Article XVII, Section E, subsection 2,3). By request to the board office, a longstanding “RDA packet” can be obtained and used as an approved curriculum to help dentists develop dental assistants for their own offices, reflective of the initial spirit of this additional legal pathway to registered dental assistant. However, some dentists and some “dental assistant schools” commercialized this opportunity to mass produce dental assistants, often at a significant tuition cost to these students without providing the appropriate training and skill development necessary of the position. This abuse has created chronic complaints to the board, in the past and present alike. Upon recommendation from the board attorney, additional research will be completed to determine the best course of action to enforce a board-approved course without completing rule changes and tampering with existing policies, with the hope of better oversight and application of the current language. This topic will be re-addressed in subsequent rules and regulations committee meetings before final presentation before the board for approval.
