AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 22, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

Introduced by Assembly Member Berman

February 13, 2026

An act to add Section 1917.2 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of dental hygienists by the Dental Hygiene Board of California. Existing law requires the board to license as a registered dental hygienist a person who satisfies specified requirements, including completion of a prescribed education program, satisfactory completion of an examination in California law and ethics, and satisfactory performance, within the preceding 3 years, of the dental hygiene examination given by the Western Regional Examining Board or any other clinical or dental hygiene examination approved by the board.

This bill would require the board to license as a registered dental hygienist an applicant who has successfully completed the dental hygiene examination given by the American Board of Dental Examiners and submitted an application and appropriate fees. The bill would require the board to certify an individual as eligible to take that dental hygiene examination if they have earned a degree from a nonaccredited dental school equivalent to a doctor of dental surgery or doctor of dental medicine degree and they meet certain other requirements. Among those requirements, the bill would include submission of verification of their degree’s equivalence, as specified, satisfactory completion of specified examinations within the 5 years preceding application, and satisfactory completion of certain coursework, including, among other things, a board-approved course in soft-tissue curettage, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide-oxygen analgesia, within the 2 years preceding application. The bill would deem an individual eligible to enroll in a board-approved course in soft-tissue curettage, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide-oxygen analgesia if they have otherwise satisfied certain verification, examination, and coursework requirements, as specified.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 1917.2 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

1917.2.

(a) The dental hygiene board shall certify an individual as eligible to take the dental hygiene examination given by the American Board of Dental Examiners if they have earned a degree from a nonaccredited dental school equivalent to a doctor of dental surgery or doctor of dental medicine and they meet the following requirements:

(1) Submission of verification from Educational Credential Evaluators confirming the academic equivalence of the applicant’s dental degree to a United States dental hygiene degree.

(2) Satisfactory completion of the following examinations within the preceding five years:

(A) The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination.

(B) The examination in California law and ethics as prescribed by the dental hygiene board.

(3) Satisfactory completion of all of the following within the preceding two years:

(A) A two-unit Dental Practice Act course approved by the dental board.

(B) An eight-unit infection control course approved by the dental board.

(C) A soft-tissue curettage, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide-oxygen analgesia course approved by the dental hygiene board.

(D) Current, valid certification in basic life support offered by a course consistent with Section 1017 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations.

(b) An individual who provides documentation to a course instructor demonstrating compliance with paragraphs (1) and (2) and subparagraphs (A), (B), and (D) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) shall be deemed eligible to enroll in a board-approved course of instruction required by subparagraph (C) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a).

(c) The dental hygiene board shall, pursuant to this section, grant a license as a registered dental hygienist to an applicant upon successful completion of the dental hygiene examination given by the American Board of Dental Examiners, and submission of a completed application form and all fees required by the dental hygiene board.