Oklahoma legislators have approved a new bill that would create the first oral surgery dental assistant permit in the U.S. and make dental assistant permits a requirement.
SB 684 is now awaiting Gov. Mary Fallin's signature, Tulsa World reported.
The need for the bill was exacerbated after Tulsa oral surgeon W. Scott Harrington, DMD, exposed some 7,000 patients to blood-borne viruses at his practice. His assistants were responsible for sterilization procedures and performed IV sedation, neither of which they were trained or certified for. The latter task would be forbidden by the new bill.
A permit process for dental assistants was underway prior to the Tulsa incident, Oklahoma Board of Dentistry Executive Director Susan Rogers told Tulsa World.
The permits would cost $50 or more, and expanded-duty permits also will be made available, the article noted.
