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SB 1124

STATE GOVERNMENT-TECH

104th Regular Session Introduced by John Curran

Arizona creates a new oral preventive assistant role with 120-hour training, authorized coronal scaling under direct supervision for healthy patients, and reporting requirements th

Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments
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Bill Summary · SB 1124

Summary — SB 1124 (State of Arizona): Oral Preventive Assistants (Chapter 17, 2025)

Status: Chaptered / Approved by Governor March 31, 2025
Statute added: Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1291.02 (Title 32, Chapter 11, Article 4)
Reporting requirement repealed effective June 30, 2029.

Purpose
- Establishes a new category of dental worker, an “oral preventive assistant,” defines required qualifications and scope of practice, prescribes supervision and patient-notification requirements, and directs limited data collection and reporting to assess the program.

Key provisions
- Training and prerequisites
- To practice as an oral preventive assistant, a dental assistant must complete a board‑approved training course of at least 120 hours of didactic and clinical instruction with patients at a “qualifying institution.”
- Before taking that course, the dental assistant must:
- Hold current CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) certification;
- Hold board‑approved certifications in both coronal polishing and radiography;
- Either hold current national board certification in dental assisting OR have completed a dental assisting educational program accredited by a recognized state or national accreditor.
- “Qualifying institution” = institution of higher education (including community college) with a dental or dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) or successor.

  • Scope of practice and limits

    • Permitted tasks: removal of plaque, calculus and stains using scalers or sonic/ultrasonic scaling devices (i.e., supragingival coronal calculus removal).
    • Allowed only after the patient has received a periodontal evaluation by a dentist or dental hygienist.
    • Patient eligibility: periodontally healthy patients or patients with localized mild gingivitis only.
    • Prohibitions: use of air‑polishing devices; treatment of patients previously treated for periodontal disease, with generalized recession, medically compromised patients, or patients under sedation.

  • Supervision, documentation and posting

    • Oral preventive assistants may practice only under direct supervision of a dentist or dental hygienist.
    • Supervision ratios: a dentist may supervise up to three oral preventive assistants simultaneously; a dental hygienist may supervise one at a time.
    • Requirement to inform and document in the clinical record that care was not provided by a licensed dental provider.
    • Certificate of completion from the approved course must be prominently posted where services are provided.
    • Allowing an assistant to act outside these rules is treated as unprofessional conduct for the supervising dentist/hygienist.

  • Data collection and temporary reporting

    • The State Board of Dental Examiners, coordinated with a statewide dentists’ association, must collect data on the number and location of practicing oral preventive assistants and complaints filed against dentists regarding these assistants.
    • A report is due to the Governor and legislative leaders on or before January 1, 2029. This reporting requirement is repealed on June 30, 2029.

Who is affected
- Dental assistants seeking expanded, credentialed duties (new training and certification pathway).
- Dentists and dental hygienists (supervisory responsibilities, supervision limits, reporting/discipline exposure).
- Dental education providers (must offer approved 120‑hour programs at accredited institutions).
- Patients (expanded access to coronal scaling under specified limits; required disclosure when care provided by an assistant).
- State Board of Dental Examiners (administration, data collection and reporting).

Potential impacts
- Workforce: May increase capacity for basic supragingival prophylaxis in dental settings by delegating specific tasks to trained assistants, with constraints to protect higher‑risk patients.
- Access: Could improve service availability in some settings, while supervision ratios and patient restrictions will limit scope.
- Oversight: Adds documentation, posting and reporting obligations intended to monitor outcomes and complaints; reporting requirement is temporary (repealed mid‑2029).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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