A bill headed to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk would change the way examinations are administered to the state's dental school graduates.
The existing law requires an applicant for a license to practice dentistry to complete various examinations, including the National Board Dental Examination, an examination in California law and ethics developed by the Dental Board of California, and a clinical and written examination administered either by the board or the Western Regional Examining Board.
Assembly Bill 1524, Dental Licensure by Hybrid Portfolio Pathway (HPP), which passed both Houses the last week of August, abolishes the clinical and written examination administered by the state dental board. The bill would replace that examination with an assessment process administered while the applicant is enrolled at an in-state dental school. The HPP would utilize uniform standards of minimal clinical experiences and require a final assessment of the submitted portfolio at the end of the school program.
According to the California Society of Pediatric Dentists (CSPD), other current paths to dental licensure (with the exception of the California clinical examination) would remain available, including passage of the Western Regional Examination. In addition, the CSPD noted on its website, "Present proposed regulations do not require treatment of the primary dentition or treatment of the minor dental patient in the portfolio of cases that must be presented and are excluded from the competencies by which the applicant would be evaluated."
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