COMDA examines and licenses Registered Dental Assistants in Extended Functions (RDAEFs) and Registered Dental Hygienists in Extended Functions (RDHEFs).  The two categories are together referred to as "EFs", since the examination and licensure requirements, and allowable additional duties, are identical. The term "EF" does not refer to certain "expanded" functions that RDAs and RDHs are allowed to perform upon completion of certain courses.

This page contains information about EFs with regard to Qualification and Examination for Licensure and Allowable Duties/Frequently Asked Questions.

For information about required and prohibited conduct, click here, and for information about license renewal and maintenance, click here.  For a publication of all laws and regulations in Word format governing dental auxiliaries, please return to the main page.

Sections 1076, 1077.1, 1079.1, 1081.2, and 1082.2 are the regulations governing the EF examination and licensure process, which are contained in that publication.

The application and examination forms on this page contain all of the requirements that an applicant for EF examination and licensure must complete. 

All applicants for EF examination and licensure must have successfully completed a minimum of a 90-hour program approved by the Dental Board.   The two approved programs are conducted by the University of California, San Francisco (415-476-1101) and the University of California, Los Angeles (310-206-8388).

Applicants must then successfully pass a State clinical examination. 

Application information and forms, and examination information, are available in PDF format as follows:

The application will be provided upon completion of the EF course given at either UCLA or UCSF.

Application Instructions

Examination Instructions  - these instructions will be mailed to all qualified applicants with their scheduling notice

Re-Examination Application

Licensure

Examination results are normally mailed about 4 weeks after the LAST exam date in the examination cycle. 

In addition, a license can NOT be issued until COMDA receives fingerprint clearances from both the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Identification if the applicant has not previously been fingerprinted when applying for their RDA or RDH license.  This process can take 60 days or more.  If an applicant has a criminal history, arrest report and court records must be obtained and investigated before a decision is made to issue or deny the license. 

Once this process is completed and an applicant is found to be qualified for licensure, a pocket identification card and wall certificate are issued.  There is no license fee required other than the initial application and examination fees.

Allowable Duties/Frequently Asked Questions

Law and regulation specifically define the duties that each category of auxiliary is allowed to perform, the level of dentist supervision required, and the settings in which the duties may be performed.  It is a criminal offense to perform illegal functions, as well as grounds for license discipline of both the person performing the illegal function and any person who aid or abets such illegal activity.

The duties that EFs are allowed to performed are specified in Section 1087 and 1089 of the regulations, which is contained in COMDA's publication of laws and regulations, which are available on the main page.

Following are frequently asked questions about allowable duties:

May EF's place tetracycline cord?  Current regulations do not allow the placement of tetracycline cord by auxiliaries.  This issue has been considered by both COMDA and the Board at past meetings, and there are no plans to amend current regulations to allow the performance of this procedure by auxiliaries.

Who may place fluoride varnishes?  A fluoride varnish is considered a non-toxic topical agent, and can therefore be placed by an unlicensed dental assistant, as well as all categories of licensed auxiliaries.

May auxiliaries use slow or high-speed handpieces?   The use of an slow-speed or high-speed handpieces by auxiliaries is not specifically prohibited by law or regulation, except that (1) those certified to perform coronal polishing are limited to using "an appropriation rotary instrument with rubber cap or brush and a polishing agent" (Regulation Section 1067(h); and (2) the procedure is not intended to cut hard or soft tissue.

However, law also prohibits dental personnel from performing any service which they are not competent to perform, or which is not in accordance with customs and standards of the dental profession, as provided in Section 1684 of the Dental Practice Act:

"1684.   In addition to other acts constituting unprofessional conduct under this chapter, it is unprofessional conduct for a person licensed under this chapter to perform, or hold himself or herself out as able to perform, professional services beyond the scope of his or her license and field or fields of competence as established by his or her education, experience, training, or any combination thereof.  This includes, but is not limited to, the use of any instrument or device in a manner that is not in accordance with the customary standards and practices of the dental profession..."
 
Therefore, it is up to the practitioner and his or her employer to assure that the above requirements are fully met before using a device to avoid disciplinary and/or criminal action.

May an auxiliary administer anesthesia, or insert or remove IV lines?  No auxiliary may insert IV lines, administer anesthesia and medicines via the IV, and or remove IV lines, unless the person possesses another license (such as R.N. or L.V.N.) that allows them to perform such duties.

While Regulation Section 1085 allows DA's to perform such basic supportive procedures as extra-oral duties, the "extra-oral" duties of inserting IV lines, administering anesthesia, or removing such lines do not meet the definition of a "basic supportive procedure", which is defined in Regulation Section 1067(l) as:

"Basic supportive dental procedures' means fundamental duties or functions which may be performed by an unlicensed dental assistant under the supervision of a licensed dentist because of their technically elementary characteristics, complete reversibility and inability to precipitate potentially hazardous conditions for the patient being treated."

For answers to specific questions about the EF Application or Examination, you can also email.