22 Tex. Admin. Code § 114.2 - Registration of Dental Assistants
(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) Graduated from an accredited high school
or holds a certificate of high school equivalency, General Equivalency Diploma
(GED);
(3) Submitted fingerprints
for the retrieval of criminal history record information;
(4) Successfully completed a current hands-on
course in basic life support; and,
(5) 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 biennial registrations (i.e.,
renewals). The initial, staggered registration periods will range from 18
months to 30 months. The length of the initial registration period will be
determined by the registrant's birth month, but will be no less than 18 months.
The expiration of the initial registration will be based on the registrants'
birth month.
(d) Subsequent to the
initial registration period, a registered dental assistant's biennial 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 hands-on course in
basic life support; and,
(C)
Complete continuing education as required by §
114.12 of this
chapter.
(3) A
registration expired for one year or more may not be renewed.
(4) Up to 6 hours of continuing education may
be carried forward from the year preceding the current renewal
period.
(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.
(ii) Identify and
correct causes of errors on intraoral radiographs.
(O) Understand basic principles of extraoral
radiology.
(P) Select the
appropriate film and equipment.
(Q)
Prepare patient for exposure.
(R)
Expose extraoral radiographs.
(S)
Identify and correct causes of errors on extraoral radiographs.
(T) Explain the concept of digital
radiography.
(U) Select appropriate
equipment.
(V) Expose digital
radiographs.
(W) Identify and
correct causes of errors on digital radiographs.
(X) Utilize quality assurance procedures in
the dental office for radiographic procedures.
(Y) Prepare radiographs to comply with legal
requirements for viewing and duplication.
(i)
Explain methods for duplicating radiographs.
(ii) Explain reasons for exposing and
retaining radiographs.
(Z) Comply with HIPAA/Patient Privacy Rules
and Regulations.
(2)
Infection control. At the end of this course of instruction, the student should
be able to:
(A) Follow standards and
guidelines of occupational safety for dental office personnel.
(i) Utilize regulations in the OSHA/CDC
Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.
(ii)
Utilize regulations in the OSHA/CDC Hazard Communication Standard.
(B) Identify infectious diseases
in the dental setting and available immunizations.
(C) Prevent cross-contamination and disease
transmission in the dental setting.
(i)
Perform proper hand washing.
(ii)
Use disposable items whenever possible.
(iii) Utilize barrier techniques and personal
protective equipment (PPE).
(D) Perform disinfection procedures.
(i) Select appropriate PPE.
(ii) Select, prepare and use chemical agents
following manufacturer's directions.
(iii) Prepare surfaces for
disinfection.
(iv) Disinfect the
treatment room, darkroom, instrument processing area, and all associated
equipment.
(E) Perform
sterilization procedures.
(i) Select
appropriate PPE.
(ii) Prepare
dental instruments and equipment for sterilization.
(iii) Apply appropriate method for
sterilization of dental instruments, equipment and supplies.
(iv) Label and store all instruments
properly.
(v) Monitor effectiveness
of sterilization process for dental instruments, equipment and
supplies.
(F) Maintain
infection control of dental unit and equipment.
(G) Practice safety measures when handling
all hazardous materials.
(i) Identify and
dispose of biohazardous waste.
(ii)
Identify and dispose of non-regulated waste.
(iii) Identify and manage potential chemical
and physical hazards in accordance with MSDS sheets.
(H) Practice infection control in handling
and transporting dental items.
(i) Select
appropriate PPE.
(ii) Identify
conditions for potential cross-contamination.
(iii) Select and apply appropriate
disinfectant.
(iv) Label
biohazardous material.
(I) Utilize and maintain a quality assurance
program for infection control throughout the dental setting.
(3) Jurisprudence. At the end of
this course of instruction, the student should be able to:
(A) State the mission, philosophy and
composition of the State Board of Dental Examiners.
(B) Differentiate between the Texas
Occupations Code and the rules of the State Board of Dental
Examiners.
(C) Comply with Texas
law and the rules of the State Board of Dental Examiners as they relate to
dental assistant duties.
(i) This subsection as well as subsections
(j) and (k) of this section apply to certificates issued on or after September
1, 2009. A dental assistant who holds a certificate of registration issued
under this chapter shall display the person's current certificate of
registration in each office in which the person makes dental x-rays. If the
person makes dental x-rays at more than one location, the person may display a
duplicate of the original registration certificate obtained from the Board on
payment of a duplicate certificate fee set by the Board.
(j) A dental assistant who holds a
certificate of registration issued under this chapter shall timely notify the
Board of:
(1) any change of address of the
registrant's place of business;
(2)
any change of the registrant's employer; and
(3) any change of the registrant's mailing
address.
(k) The Board
may issue a registration to a dental assistant applicant who is a Military
service member, Military veteran, or Military spouse in compliance with §
101.6 of this title (relating to
Dental Licensing for Military Service Members, Military Veterans and Military
Spouses).
(l) An applicant for
registration is ineligible if they are in violation of a board order at the
time of application.
Notes
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.