California Dental Board Changes CE Requirements in 2006

 

Starting in 2006, Continuing Education Units are not all equal.  There now will be a requirement that you submit your CE Units in either Category I or Category II units.

 

Category I units includes courses in the shall include courses in the actual delivery of dental services to the patient or the community.  Category II includes other courses directly related to the practice of dentistry.

 

Please see below for the new regulations

§1016. Providers and Courses.
(1) Category I: Courses in this category shall include courses in the actual delivery of dental services to the patient or the community. Such courses shall also include:

Mandatory courses required by the Board for license renewal, Infection Control, California Dental Practice Act and a course in Basic Life Support, utilization and scope of practice for auxiliaries; scope of practice for dentists; laws governing the prescribing of drugs; citations, fines, revocation, and suspension, and license renewal, preventive services, diagnosis, comprehensive treatment planning, nutrition counseling of the patient, corrective and restorative oral health treatment, dentistry's role in individual and community health emergencies and disasters, legal requirement governing the HIPAA, actual delivery of care; and workplace, environmental and general safety, office instrument sterilization systems

(2) Category II: Courses in this category shall include other courses directly related to the practice of dentistry. Such courses shall include:

Courses addressing the evaluation, improvement and/or methods of correction for recall and scheduling systems, organization and management of the dental, implementation and/or mechanism of alternative delivery systems, patient record keeping, skills such as communication, behavioral sciences, patient management and motivation, other subjects of direct concern to dentistry such as dentolegal matters, methods of health care delivery and sociopolitical problems

(3) Courses considered to be outside the scope of the continuing education program include:

 Money management, the licensee's personal finances or personal business matters; basic educational or cultural subjects not related to the practice of dentistry; general physical fitness; presentations by political or public figures or other persons that do not deal primarily with dental practice; memory training and speed reading; the computerized dental office when the topic involves record management or new technology designed primarily for the licensee's understanding and benefit; courses designed to make the licensee a better business person or designed to improve licensee or staff motivation; improvement of office operations, licensee and staff convenience, or profit motive; courses which address increased office production; financial planning; employee benefits; marketing or motivational topics to increase productivity or profitability; courses in which the primary beneficiary is the licensee.

§ 1017. Units Required for Renewal of License.

(a) Effective January 1, 2006 as a condition of renewal, licensees are required to complete continuing education units for license renewal in each of the following subjects:

(1) Infection control and (2) California Dental Practice Act and attending regulations. Dentists and Dental Auxiliaries will be required to complete a minimum of 80% of their required units for license renewal in Category I subjects including two units of continuing education in infection control and two units in the California Dental Practice Act, and no more than 20% of their required units in Category II subjects. The mandatory units will count toward the total units required to renew a license, however, failure to complete the mandatory courses will result in non-renewal of a license. Any continuing education units accumulated before January 1, 2006, that meet the requirements in effect on the date the units were accumulated will be accepted by the board for license renewals taking place on or after January 1, 2006.

(b) Every licensee shall accumulate the continuing education units equal to the number of units indicated below during the biennial license renewal period and shall assure the board that he/she will accumulate such units during the succeeding two year renewal period; except that those new licensees who have been issued a license to practice for a period less than 2 years shall commence accumulating continuing education credits with the next biennial renewal period occurring after the issuance of a license to practice. As part of the continuing education requirements, each licensee shall complete, at least once every two years, a course in basic life support approved by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. Each licensee who holds a general anesthesia permit shall take and complete, at least once every two years, either (1) an advanced cardiac life support course which is approved by the American Heart Association and which includes an examination on the materials presented in the course or (2) any other advanced cardiac life support course which is identical in all respects, except for the omission of materials that relate solely to hospital emergencies or neonatology, to the course entitled "Guidelines 2000 for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care" published by the American Heart Association in August 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference. Each licensee who holds a conscious sedation permit shall take and complete at least once every two years at least 15 total units of courses related to the administration of conscious sedation and to medical emergencies. Refusal to execute the required assurance shall result in non-renewal of the license.

(1) Dentists: 50 units.

(2) Registered dental hygienists: 25 units.

(3) Registered dental assistants: 25 units.

(4) Registered dental hygienists in extended functions: 25 units.

(5) Registered dental assistants in extended functions: 25 units.

(6) Registered dental hygienists in alternative practice: 35 units.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this code, tape recorded courses, home study materials, video courses, and computer courses are considered correspondence courses, and if from registered providers, will be accepted for credit up to, but not exceeding, half of the total required credits. Interactive instruction courses, such as live lecture, live telephone conferencing, live video conferencing, or live classroom study from registered providers, will be accepted for full credit.