Dentistry is the diagnosis or treatment, by surgery or other method, of diseases and lesions and the correction of malpositions of the human teeth, alveolar process, gums, jaws, or associated structures; and such diagnosis or treatment may include all necessary related procedures as well as the use of drugs, anesthetic agents, and physical evaluation. Without limiting the foregoing, a person practices dentistry within the meaning of this chapter who does any one or more of the following:

themselves or represents themselves to be a dentist.

themselves or their agents or servants any operation upon the human teeth, alveolar process, gums, jaws, or associated structures, or in any way indicates that the person will construct, alter, repair, or sell any bridge, crown, denture, or other prosthetic appliance or orthodontic appliance.

performed.

health system.

does nothing to interfere with, control, or otherwise direct the professional judgment of or provision of dental services by a licensee or dental assistant lawfully acting within the licensee’s or dental assistant’s scope of practice as defined in this chapter.

Section 1204 of the Health and Safety Code.

deceased.

subdivision (a) of Section 1625.3 delivers to the board a notification of death or incapacity that includes all of the following information:

any interference by the person or by

the person’s assignee with the contracting dentist’s or dentists’ practice of dentistry or professional judgment is grounds for immediate termination of the operations of the dental practice without a hearing. The statement shall also provide that if the person required to make this notification willfully states as true any material fact that the person knows to be false, the person shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in an action brought by any public prosecutor. A civil penalty imposed under this subparagraph shall be enforced as a civil judgment.

or dentists prior to use of those records.

officer’s designee shall be mailed to the practice no later than 10 days after the informal hearing, is the final decision in the matter, and is not subject to appeal under the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

the person’s assignee, has interfered with the practice or professional judgment of the contracting dentist or dentists or otherwise finds evidence that a violation of this section constitutes an immediate threat to the public health, safety, or welfare, the board may immediately order the termination of the operations of the dental practice without an informal hearing.

practice provided pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

The following written notification shall be included with, or as part of, all application forms required for a license to practice dentistry pursuant to this article and for renewal of that license pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 1715):

“Effective January 1, 2008, certain nondentists may, upon your death or incapacity, contract with another licensed dentist or dentists to continue your dental practice for a period not exceeding 12 months if certain conditions are met. Sections 1625.3 and

1625.4 of the Business and Professions Code permit the legal guardian or conservator or authorized representative of an incapacitated dentist, the executor or administrator of the estate of a deceased dentist, or the named trustee or successor trustee of a trust or subtrust who meets certain requirements, to contract with a licensed dentist or dentists to continue the incapacitated or deceased dentist’s dental practice for a period not to exceed 12 months from the date of death or incapacity if the practice meets specified criteria and if certain other conditions are met, including providing a specific notification to the Dental Board of California. You and your estate planner should become familiar with these requirements and the notification process. Please contact the Dental Board of California for additional information.”

amendment, repeal, or readoption of a regulation authorized by this section is deemed to address an emergency, for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, and the board is hereby exempted for this purpose from the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code. For purposes of subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, the 180-day period, as applicable to the effective period of an emergency regulatory action and submission of specified materials to the Office of Administrative Law, is hereby extended to 240 days.

It is unlawful for any person to engage in the practice of dentistry in the state, either privately or as an employee of a governmental agency or political subdivision, unless the person has a valid, unexpired license or special permit from the board.

The following practices, acts and operations, however, are exempt from the operation of this chapter:

school’s clinical departments or laboratories or in a dental extension

program approved by the board or in an advanced dental education program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or a national accrediting body approved by the board.

first had and obtained.

It is unlawful for any person acting under the exemption of this subdivision to represent or hold out to the public in any manner that the person will perform or render any of the services exempted by

this subdivision that are rendered or performed under the provisions of this chapter by a licensed dentist, including the construction, making, alteration or repairing of dental prosthetic or orthodontic appliances.

Coast Guard, Navy, or Marine Corps or employees of the United States Public Health Service, Veterans’ Administration, or Bureau of Indian Affairs when engaged in the discharge of official duties.

In addition to the exemptions set forth in Section 1626, the operations by bona fide students of registered dental assisting, registered dental assisting in extended functions, and registered dental hygiene in extended functions in the clinical departments or the laboratory of an educational program or school approved by the board, including operations by unlicensed students while engaged in clinical externship programs that have been approved by an approved educational program or school, and that are under the general programmatic and academic supervision of that educational program or school, are exempt from the operation of this chapter.

An individual licensed to practice dentistry under this chapter is a licentiate for purposes of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 805, and thus is a health care practitioner subject to the provisions of Section 2290.5 pursuant to subdivision (b) of that section.

shall not employ more than one person to perform acupuncture services for every 20 dentists in such group or corporation.

shall apply:

student and clinical faculty participation at a sponsored event.

school’s clinical department, laboratory, or dental extension program operated pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1626.

liability insurance coverage is obtained that covers all services provided by the student, including diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation.

The license of any dentist, existing at the time of the passage of this chapter, shall continue in force until it expires or is forfeited in the manner provided by this chapter.

the person has received, provides emergency medical care to a person during a state of emergency declared pursuant to a proclamation issued pursuant to Section 8588, 8625, or 8630 of the Government Code or a declaration of health emergency issued pursuant to Section 101080 of the Health and Safety Code shall not be liable in negligence for any personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage caused by the licensee’s good faith but negligent act or omission. This subdivision shall not provide immunity for acts or omissions of gross negligence or willful misconduct. This subdivision does not limit any immunity provided under subdivision (a).

the board may suspend compliance with any provision of this chapter or regulation adopted thereunder that would adversely affect a licensee’s ability to provide emergency services.

insufficient time to fully inform the patient.

if not immediately diagnosed and treated, would lead to serious disability or death.

Any person over 18 years of age is eligible to take an examination before the board upon making application therefor and meeting all of the following requirements:

this article, “dental college approved by the board” or “approved dental school” include a foreign dental school accredited by a body that has a reciprocal accreditation agreement with any commission or accreditation organization whose findings are accepted by the board.

of two academic years of education at a dental college approved by the board pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 1024) of Chapter 2 of Division 10 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations and has been issued a degree of doctor of dental medicine or doctor of dental surgery or its equivalent. This subdivision shall not apply to applicants who have successfully completed the requirements of Section 1636 as it read before it was repealed on January 1, 2004, on or before December 31, 2003, or who have successfully completed the requirements of Section 1628.2 on or before December 31, 2008. An applicant who has successfully completed the requirements of Section 1636 as it read before it was repealed on January 1, 2004, on or before December 31, 2003, or who has successfully completed the requirements of Section 1628.2 on or before December 31, 2008, shall be eligible to take the

examination required by Section 1632, subject to the limitations set forth in subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 1633.

The board may deny an application to take an examination for licensure as a dentist or dental auxiliary or an application for registration as a dental corporation, or, at any time prior to licensure, the board may deny the issuance of a license to an applicant for licensure as a dentist or dental auxiliary, if the applicant has been convicted of a crime or subject

to formal discipline pursuant to Section 480.

either fingerprint cards or a copy of a completed Live Scan form for submission to state and federal criminal justice agencies, including, but not limited to, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in order to establish the identity of the applicant and in order to determine whether the applicant has a record of any criminal convictions in this state or in any other jurisdiction, including foreign countries. The information obtained as a result of the fingerprinting of the applicant shall be used in accordance with Section 11105 of the Penal Code, and to determine whether the applicant is subject to denial of licensure pursuant to Division 1.5 (commencing with Section 475) or Section 1628.5. The board shall request the subsequent arrest notification service for all applicants pursuant to Section 11105.2 of the Penal Code.

The examination of applicants for a license to practice dentistry in this state, as described in Section 1632, shall be sufficiently thorough to test the fitness of the applicant to practice dentistry, and shall include assessing competency in the areas of diagnosis, treatment planning, and restorative, endodontic, periodontic, and prosthetic dentistry. Both questions and answers shall be written in the English language.

certification from the dean of the qualifying dental school or the dean’s delegate attended by the applicant that the applicant has graduated, or will graduate, or is expected to graduate. Applicants who submit completed applications and certification from the dean at least 15 days prior to a scheduled examination shall be scheduled to take the examination. Successful results of the examination shall, as established by board regulation, remain valid for two years from the date that the applicant is notified of having passed the examination.

In

either case, the board shall require the dean of that school or the dean’s delegate to furnish satisfactory proof that the applicant will graduate within one year of the date the examination was administered.

subdivision (a) of Section 12944 of the Government Code.

American Board of Dental Examiners, Inc. examination process shall be regularly reviewed by the department pursuant to Section 139.

The Department of Finance may accept funds pursuant to Sections 11005.1 and 16302 of the Government Code for the purposes of reviewing and analyzing the examination developed by the American Board of Dental Examiners, Inc., as described in Section 1632.55.

coursework shall be taken at a dental school approved by either the Commission on Dental Accreditation or a comparable organization approved by the board, and shall be completed within a period of one year from the date of notification of the applicant’s third failure.

A person successfully passing the examination shall be registered as a licensed dentist on the board register, as provided in Section 1612, and shall be granted by the board a license to practice dentistry in the State of California.

Notwithstanding Section 1634, the board may grant a license to practice dentistry to an applicant who submits all of the following to the board:

either the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or a national accrediting body approved by the board. The advanced education program shall include a certification of clinical residency program completion approved by the board, to be completed upon the resident’s successful completion of the program in order to evaluate the resident’s competence to practice dentistry in the state. The certification shall be within two years prior to the date of the resident’s application for a license under this section. Completion of the program shall be within two years prior to the date of their application for a license under this section.

successfully completed an examination in California law and ethics.

dentists who have obtained licensure by passing the state clinical examination and for those dentists who have obtained licensure through an advanced education program. The report shall also contain tracking information on these complaints and their disposition. This report shall be a component of the evaluation of the examination process that is based on psychometrically sound principles for establishing minimum qualifications and levels of competency.

practice in another state, district, or territory of the United States, has been engaged in full-time nonclinical practice requiring an active dentist’s license for federal, state, or local public health programs in another state, district, or territory of the United States for at least five years immediately preceding the application, or has been a full-time faculty member in an accredited dental education program and in active clinical practice for a total of at least 5,000 hours within the past five years immediately preceding the date of the application under this section. The clinical practice requirement may be met by submitting documentation of any of the following:

program in a specialty recognized by the American Dental Association, the applicant may receive credit of 1,000 hours for each year, up to 2,000 hours, of clinical practice completed in the residency training program.

The board may periodically request verification of compliance with these requirements.

warrant the submission of additional information from the applicant or the denial of the application for licensure.

shall not make the applicant ineligible under this paragraph.

specific to those dentists who intend to fulfill the alternative clinical practice requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a). The report shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(A) The total number of applicants from other states who have sought licensure.

(B) The number of dentists from other states licensed pursuant to this section, as well as the number of licenses not granted and the reasons why each license was not granted.

(C) The location of the practice of dentists licensed pursuant to this section.

(D) The number of dentists licensed pursuant to this section who establish a practice in a rural area or in an area designated as having a shortage of practicing dentists or no dentists at all.

(E) The length of time dentists licensed pursuant to this section maintained their practice in the reported location. This information shall be reported separately for dentists described in subparagraphs (C) and (D).

shall agree to be bound by all provisions of law applicable to the board, its members, and staff, governing custody and confidentiality of materials submitted by applicants for licensure.

shall require the licensee to immediately cease dental practice. Upon the licensee’s completion of the license requirements under this section and the expiration of the two-year term, all location restrictions on the license shall be removed and an unrestricted license shall be issued.

two-year term, all location restrictions on the license shall be removed and the holder is authorized to practice dentistry in accordance with this chapter in any allowable setting in the state.

Any person licensed pursuant to Section 1635.5 shall be required to fulfill continuing education requirements established by the board pursuant to Section 1645 before his or her license is eligible to be renewed in accordance with this chapter.

Notwithstanding Section 1636.4, any foreign dental school whose program was renewed by the board prior to January 1, 2020, through any date between January 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026, shall maintain approval through that date. Upon expiration of the approval, the foreign dental school shall be required to comply with the provisions of Section 1636.4.

Notwithstanding Section 1636.4, graduates of a foreign dental school whose program was approved by the board prior to January 1, 2020, through any date before January 1, 2024, and who enrolled in the program prior to January 1, 2020, shall be eligible for licensure pursuant to Section 1628.