Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Signs Bill Permitting Dental Assistants to Perform as Oral Preventative Assistants

In a recent legislative flurry, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed into law a slate of bills, one of which is set to reshape the workings of dental offices across the state. Reported by FOX 10 Phoenix, the new law allows dental assistants to take on the role of oral preventative assistants (OPAs), a move that could offer greater access to dental care but also raises concerns about the quality of that care. As per the statute, a dental assistant must undergo 120 hours of clinical training to legally clean teeth and must operate under the supervision of a licensed dental professional.

The implications are mixed, while supporters of the bill, like Matthew Ellingson, CEO of Swiss Biologic Dentistry, expressed cautious optimism in a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix, residents like Cassandra Abril and Marc Cummings revealed skepticism about the quality of services provided by less experienced oral preventative assistants in their interviews, highlighting concerns over the shortcuts dental offices might take to cut costs, the new assistants are cheaper labor compared to hiring fully trained hygienists, leading some to worry that standards of care could slip if oral preventative assistants are not adequately supervised even though the law stipulates that one hygienist can supervise only one oral preventative assistants and a dentist can supervise up to three.

The governor's signings reached beyond dentistry, impacting various sectors from health care to real estate, as detailed in a comprehensive report by 12 News. Among the bills signed is Senate Bill 1070, which impacts how tax-deed properties are sold, and House Bill 2173, which prevents health profession boards from inquiring about a license applicant's mental health treatment history. Other notable legislation includes House Bill 2025, which allows medical assistants to handle urinary catheters, while House Bill 2115 established new parameters around the crime of sexual exploitation of a minor.

While the assortment of passed bills reflects a diverse set of priorities for the Hobbs administration, the pivot in dental practice regulation stands out due to the immediate, everyday impact it could have on patients and professionals alike, the signed laws will not take effect immediately, marked to begin 90 days following the legislative session's end, giving practices time to prepare and train staff assuming they choose to implement the new parameters. For now, Arizonans might want to keep an eye on the fine print when scheduling their next dental check-up, according to Matthew Ellingson's interview with FOX 10 Phoenix, it's important to understand whether an office uses solely oral preventative assistants, a blend of oral preventative assistants and hygienists, and how this could affect the caliber of one's dental care.