HF 338 (LSB 2436YH (2) 91)

HOUSE FILE 338

BY  BROWN-POWERS, CROKEN, KRESSIG, GOSA, AMOS JR., BAETH, WILBURN, BAGNIEWSKI, WICHTENDAHL, and R. JOHNSON

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the administration of local anesthesia by dental assistants.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 153.38, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   153.38  Dental assistants —— scope of practice.
   A registered dental assistant may perform those services of assistance to a licensed dentist as determined by the board by rule. A registered dental assistant with additional education and training, as provided by the board by rule, may become certified to perform expanded functions or become qualified to participate in dental radiography. A registered dental assistant who has successfully completed expanded function training through the university of Iowa college of dentistry or a program certified by the commission on dental accreditation may place dental sealants on teeth. Services performed by a registered dental assistant shall be performed under supervision of a licensed dentist, but this section shall not be construed to authorize a dental assistant to practice dentistry or dental hygiene. The board shall not adopt rules that delegate to a dental assistant the administration of local anesthesia or the removal of plaque, stain, calculus, or hard natural material except by toothbrush, floss, or rubber cup coronal polish. Every licensed dentist who utilizes the services of a registered dental assistant for the purpose of assistance in the practice of dentistry shall be responsible for acts delegated to the registered dental assistant. A dentist shall delegate to a registered dental assistant only those acts which are authorized to be delegated to registered dental assistants by the board.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill strikes a provision prohibiting the dental board from adopting rules to delegate to a dental assistant the administration of local anesthesia.