COMDA Members - click here fore more information.

COMDA Website - We hope that you will find the pages informative and helpful, as we strive to make the operations of COMDA as open and accessible as possible to the public and to applicants and licensees.

We welcome your suggestions and feedback, both to improve these pages and the way that COMDA does business. 

To file a complaint about the services you have received from COMDA, please e-mail the Executive Officer or download and print a complaint form (in PDF format) by clicking here.  Your input and concerns are important to improving our service to the public, applicants, and licensees.

Organizational Structure - The Committee on Dental Auxiliaries (commonly referred to as “COMDA”) is a statutorily created committee within the Dental Board of California.  It operates under the direction of the Board, but is also an independent entity in terms of composition, staffing, and operations.

COMDA is governed by 9 members appointed by the Governor of California.  The members can be contacted through the COMDA office at 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1050, Sacramento, CA  95815.COMDA is headed by an Executive Office and has a budget of about $1.4 million annually. COMDA also has 5 standing subcommittees overseeing the various examination processes.

In creating COMDA, the Legislature intended to permit the full utilization of dental auxiliaries in order to meet the dental care needs of all the state's citizens.

Full utilization of auxiliaries is generally considered to be the concept of assuring that all possible duties are delegated to auxiliaries, consistent with the protection of the public health and safety, so that services are accessible to as many people as possible.

The Legislature also mandated that a career ladder be established, permitting the continual advancement of auxiliaries without repeating training for skills already acquired.

In addition, legislation effective January 1, 1998, placed into law the duties that the Dental Board of California had historically delegated to COMDA, including administration of the examination, qualification, and licensing processes related to dental auxiliaries.

Programs - COMDA administers the examination and licensing programs for Registered Dental Assistants (RDAs), Registered Dental Assistants in Extended Functions (RDAEFs), Registered Dental Hygienists (RDHs), Registered Dental Hygienists in Extended Functions (RDHEFs), and Registered Dental Hygienists in Alternative Practice (RDHAPs).

COMDA also maintains records of certification of persons who have taken approved courses and are, therefore, allowed to perform the following additional duties. 

- Exposure of x-rays on patients
- Coronal polishing
- Ultrasonic scaling
- Pit and fissure sealants
- Administration of local anesthetics
- Soft tissue curettage
- Administration of nitrous oxide and oxygen

COMDA performs on-site evaluations and extensive curriculum evaluations of RDA educational programs which are seeking such approval from the Board, as well as those which have been granted approval in the past.

In addition, COMDA reviews coronal polishing, ultrasonic scaler, and pit and fissure sealant courses for approval by the Board, which an RDA must complete prior to performing such duties.

Also, all dental personnel are required to take a Board-approved radiation safety course prior to the exposure of x-rays on patients.   COMDA performs inspections of programs that are seeking approval to offer such courses.

Mission and Goals - In fulfilling its mission of protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the consumer, and promoting the full utilization of auxiliaries to meet the dental care needs of all of California’s citizens, COMDA has adopted goals in the following areas:

• imposition of the least restrictive form of regulation necessary; - assurance of at least minimal competence prior to performing allowable duties;
• administration of accessible, fair, and valid examination and licensing processes;
• continuing communication with auxiliaries concerning the regulations and statutes which govern them;
• accessibility of dental health care through scopes of practice, supervision levels, and establishment of a viable career ladder, which allow the most effective utilization of dental auxiliaries;
• education of consumers in order to improve their dental health.

The complete Strategic Plan of COMDA is available in PDF format for viewing and printing in its original form by clicking on COMDA Strategic Plan.