Oregon Statutes 679.555 – Rules for certification as dental assistant; examination requirements
(1) In adopting rules related to the requirements for certification as a dental assistant, including any type of expanded function dental assistant, the Oregon Board of Dentistry may require an applicant for certification to pass a written examination. If passage of a written examination is required for certification as a dental assistant, including any type of expanded function dental assistant, the board may accept the results of any examination that is:
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 679.555
- Dental assistant: means a person who, under the supervision of a dentist or dental therapist, renders assistance to a dentist, dental therapist, dental hygienist, dental technician or another dental assistant or who, under the supervision of a dental hygienist, renders assistance to a dental hygienist providing dental hygiene. See Oregon Statutes 679.010
- Dentistry: means the healing art concerned with:
(A) The examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment, care and prevention of conditions within the human oral cavity and maxillofacial region, and of conditions of adjacent or related tissues and structures; and
(B) The prescribing, dispensing and administering of prescription drugs for purposes related to the activities described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph. See Oregon Statutes 679.010
(a)(A) Administered by a dental education program in this state that is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, or its successor organization, and approved by the board by rule;
(B) Administered by a dental education program in this state that is approved by the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition of the American Dental Association, or its successor organization, and approved by the board by rule; or
(C) An examination comparable to an examination described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph that is administered by a testing agency approved by the board by rule; and
(b) Offered in plain language in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
(2) The board may not require an applicant for certification as a dental assistant, including any type of expanded function dental assistant, to complete more than one written examination for certification as that type of dental assistant. [2023 c.436 § 2]
679.555 becomes operative July 1, 2025. See section 4, chapter 436, Oregon Laws 2023.
DENTAL THERAPY