Committees

Purpose Statement:

The Access to Care Committee identifies barriers that limit access to safe dental care and proposes recommendations to eliminate such barriers.

Objectives:

• Gather data internally and from key stakeholders on ways to improve access to care.
• Evaluate current licensing requirements to identify and potentially reduce barriers for practitioners entering the California dental workforce.
• Collaborate with the California Department of Public Health Office of Oral Health; California Department of Health Care Services Smile, California; California Department of Health Care Access and Information; and others on efforts to increase access to oral health professionals.
• Review best practices of other state licensing boards that increase access to care.
• Provide recommendations on legislation impacting access to care to the Board and the Legislative and Regulatory Committee.

Purpose Statement:

The Anesthesia Committee monitors the use of systemic sedation and anesthesia by dentists and other providers to ensure safety in the provision of these services to the public.

Objectives:

• Monitor dental anesthetic complications data and make recommendations to the Board for potential solutions if significant negative trends emerge.
• Periodically review the statutory and regulatory standards for anesthesia and sedation providers and the algorithms used in office evaluation examinations.
• Evaluate permit holders who fail multiple office evaluations and recommend potential corrective actions and solutions to the Board.
• Be aware of and monitor legislation that impacts anesthesia and sedation.
• Consider the use of dental sedation assistant permit examinations used by other recognized agencies and make recommendations to the Board.

Purpose Statement:

The Enforcement Committee advances public protection by providing governance-level oversight to improve efficiency, consistency, and accountability of the Board's enforcement program, while identifying opportunities for licensee violations prevention to ensure consumer protection.

Objectives:

• Efficiency and Process Modernization: Evaluate opportunities to reduce case processing timelines, including a review of how the transition to a paperless process can help streamline operations and reduce backlog.
• Consistency and Transparency: Review disciplinary outcomes to ensure equitable and standardized enforcement and assess how the Board communicates its enforcement actions to the public to enhance transparency and trust.
• Prevention Through Trend Analysis: Identify the most common violation categories and emerging trends to explore targeted preventive education opportunities that address root causes and reduce future complaints.

Purpose Statement:

The Examinations Committee monitors licensing examinations to ensure licensee competency and consumer protection by supporting timely access to the dental workforce while maintaining high licensure standards. Furthermore, it evaluates exam validity and fairness, reviews performance data, assesses methodologies, such as American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) and the California Law and Ethics Examination, and provides recommendations to the Board for regulatory improvements.

Objectives:

• Maintain and strengthen stakeholder trust by ensuring examination processes are transparent and equitable, and aligned with current clinical and professional standards.
• Leverage data-driven insights to evaluate exam validity and reliability and identify opportunities for ongoing improvement.
• Review and recommend to the Board statutory and regulatory changes that reflect current dental practice.
• Evaluate dental assisting licensure requirements for any barriers to entry and license portability across states.
• Assess exams and factors that potentially impact pass rates to ensure fairness, validity, comprehensiveness, and relevance.

Purpose Statement:

The Legislative and Regulatory Committee works with Board staff to educate Board members on key legislation and regulations impacting consumer protection, patient access, and quality of dental care in California.

Objectives:

• Assist Board members in conducting at least one annual meeting in the district with their local State Assemblymember and State Senator.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute an annual “Board Legislative Day” at the State Capitol the day before the first Board meeting of the year.
• Provide subject matter expertise and strategic insights to Board staff on legislative bill positions and priorities and proposed rulemaking packages under consideration by the Board.
• Coordinate with Board staff and other Board committees on educating Board members, licensees, and the public on issues impacting dental consumers of California.

Purpose Statement:

The Substance Use Awareness Committee supports consumer protection by advancing education, oversight, and policy recommendations related to substance use, diversion, and safe prescribing practices within dentistry.

Objectives:

• Promote licensee awareness and education on substance use risks, prevention, and safe prescribing practices.
• Monitor Board Diversion Program activity and provide input to Board staff to increase program participation.
• Support alignment with statewide and Board-led initiatives focused on opioid misuse and substance use prevention.
• Inform Board discussions on regulatory, enforcement, and continuing education efforts related to substance use.

Purpose Statement:

The Communications and Editorial Committee reviews and recommends Board communication strategies to ensure quality customer service to Board licensees and stakeholders.

Objectives:

• Review and update BreEZe functionality for an improved user experience.
• Develop an Outreach and Communication Plan to promote transparency and increase stakeholder awareness of the Board’s activities and processes.
• Increase internal and external communication to improve transparency and knowledge of processes and provide better customer service.