(a) A dental assistant may not position or expose dental
x-rays unless the dental assistant holds a dental assistant radiology
certificate issued by the State Board of Dental Examiners under this
section.
(b) To be eligible for a dental assistant radiology
certificate under this section, an applicant must present on or accompanying
an application form approved by the State Board of Dental Examiners
proof satisfactory to the Board that the applicant has:
(1) Paid all application, examination and licensing
fees required by law and Board rules and regulations;
(2) Successfully completed a current course in basic
life support; and,
(3) Either:
(A) taken and passed a course of instruction and an
examination administered by the State Board of Dental Examiners or
its designated agent, that fulfills the requirements in subsection
(h) of this section; or,
(B) if the applicant is certified as a dental assistant
by the Dental Assisting National Board, taken and passed a jurisprudence
examination administered by the State Board of Dental Examiners or
its designated agent.
(c) The State Board of Dental Examiners has established
a staggered dental assistant registration system comprised of initial
registration periods followed by annual registrations (i.e., renewals).
The initial, staggered registration periods will range from 6 months
to 17 months. Each dental assistant for whom an initial certificate
of registration is issued will be assigned a computer-generated check
digit. The length of the initial registration period will be according
to the assigned check digit as follows:
(1) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 1 will
be registered for 6 months;
(2) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 2 will
be registered for 7 months;
(3) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 3 will
be registered for 8 months;
(4) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 4 will
be registered for 9 months;
(5) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 5 will
be registered for 11 months;
(6) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 6 will
be registered for 12 months;
(7) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 7 will
be registered for 13 months;
(8) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 8 will
be registered for 14 months;
(9) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 9 will
be registered for 15 months; and
(10) a dental assistant assigned to check digit 10
will be registered for 17 months.
(11) Initial dental assistant registration fees will
be prorated according to the number of months in the initial registration
period.
(d) Subsequent to the initial registration period,
a registered dental assistant's annual renewal will occur on the first
day of the month that follows the last month of the dental assistant
initial registration period.
(1) Approximately 60 days prior to the expiration date
of the initial dental assistant registration period, renewal notices
will be mailed to all registered dental assistants who have that expiration
date.
(2) A dental assistant registered under this section
who wishes to renew his or her registration must:
(A) Pay a renewal fee set by Board rule;
(B) Submit proof that the applicant has successfully
completed a current course in basic life support; and,
(C) For certificates that expire before September
1, 2009, complete at least six (6) hours of continuing education in
the previous registration year.
(i) The continuing education curriculum must cover
dental assistant duties.
(ii) The continuing education requirement may be met
through self-study, interactive computer courses, or lecture courses
as offered or endorsed by continuing education providers listed in
§104.2 of this title; or
(D) For certificates that expire on or after September
1, 2009, complete continuing education as required by §114.12
of this chapter.
(3) A registration expired for one year or more may
not be renewed.
(e) Applications for registration or for renewal of
registration must be submitted to the office of the State Board of
Dental Examiners.
(f) An application for registration is filed with the
State Board of Dental Examiners when it is actually received, date-stamped,
and logged-in by the State Board of Dental Examiners along with all
required documentation and fees. An incomplete application for registration
and fee will be returned to applicant within three working days with
an explanation of additional documentation or information needed.
(g) A dental assistant shall display a current registration
certificate in each office where the dental assistant provides services
for which registration is required by this chapter. When a dental
assistant provides such services at more than one location, a duplicate
registration certificate issued by the Board may be displayed. Photocopies
are not acceptable. The duplicate may be obtained from the State Board
of Dental Examiners for a fee set by the Board.
(h) Radiology. Courses administered to fulfill the
requirements of a Dental Assistant Radiology Certificate must cover
the following course objectives identified by the Dental Assistant
Advisory Committee:
(1) At the end of this course of instruction, the student
should be able to:
(A) Apply principles of radiation safety in the operation
of radiographic equipment.
(i) Explain factors affecting x-ray production.
(ii) Explain x-ray machine factors that influence radiation
safety.
(iii) Identify differences between primary radiation
and scattered (secondary) radiation.
(iv) Describe protocol in suspected x-ray machine malfunctions.
(B) Practice safety measures for patient protection.
(i) Explain major cause of unnecessary radiation exposure.
(ii) Identify short and long-term effects of radiation
on cells and tissues.
(iii) Identify ways to reduce radiation exposure to
patients.
(iv) Explain guidelines to determine frequency of radiation
exposure.
(C) Practice safety measures for operator protection.
(i) Explain basic radiation physics and biology related
to operator exposure.
(ii) Explain sources of radiation to operators while
exposing radiographs.
(iii) Identify safety measures to reduce operator radiation
exposure.
(D) Identify and select infection control techniques
and barriers to minimize cross-contamination according to ADA/CDC
guidelines.
(E) Utilize patient management techniques before, during,
and after radiographic exposure.
(i) Address patient concerns regarding radiation exposure.
(ii) Select appropriate patient management techniques
for radiographic exposure.
(F) Select appropriate intraoral radiographic technique.
(i) Identify appropriate armamentarium for radiographic
techniques.
(ii) Select appropriate film size and film speed.
(iii) Expose radiographs.
(G) Practice infection control procedures for radiographic
processing.
(H) Prepare, maintain, and replenish radiographic solutions
for manual and automatic processors.
(I) Process exposed intra- and extraoral radiographs
manually and with automatic processors.
(i) Identify optimum conditions and procedures for
processing radiographs.
(ii) Identify and correct errors related to radiographic
processing and improper film handling.
(J) Store film and chemical agents used in radiographic
procedures according to regulatory guidelines.
(K) Dispose of all chemical agents and other materials
used in dental radiographic procedures.
(L) Mount radiographs using facial view.
(i) Identify anatomical landmarks to aid in correct
mounting.
(ii) Match specific tooth views to specified tooth
mount windows.
(iii) Utilize optimum viewing techniques.
(iv) Label the radiographic mount appropriately.
(M) Identify anatomical structures, dental materials
and patient characteristics observed on radiographs.
(N) Evaluate radiographs for diagnostic value.
(i) Identify diagnostically acceptable radiographs.
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