Jenny Kattlove, director of strategic health initiatives at the Children’s Partnership, noted in a statement that the final vote for bill AB 1174 was 17-0. The bill would enact policies to ensure the successful Virtual Dental Home demonstration project could be replicated and sustained by changing workforce policies and requiring Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, to pay for care provided through the advanced technology used in the program, she explained.
“This bill would authorize a registered dental assistant to determine which radiographs to perform if he or she has completed a specified educational program,” the bill noted. It would also enable them to place interim therapeutic restorations while under the supervision of a licensed dentist, as well as operate dental radiography equipment. After completing a course of instruction approved by the committee, dental assistants could also “determine which radiographs to perform and place interim therapeutic restorations upon the order of a licensed dentist.”
