What are dental assistants not allowed to do in Colorado?
Question:
What are dental assistants not allowed to do in Colorado?
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Answer:
Dental assistants employed in Colorado are prohibited from performing various duties, which are outlined in the Dental Assisting National Board Inc. 2020 handbook for Colorado dental assistants. They are not allowed to:
- Diagnose oral diseases
- Prescribe medications
- Administer anesthesia or any oral medication
- Create oral treatment plans
- Apply specific oral treatments such as silver diamine flouride or oral therapeutic agents
- Perform periodontal probing, soft tissue curettage, root planning, or any type of oral procedure that results in the alteration of oral anatomy (teeth, jaws or gums).
There are three dental assistant job levels and these prohibited duties apply to all three levels in Colorado. All Colorado dental assistants must be at least 18 years old and obtain and maintain a basic life support certification offered through the American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC), International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (LCOR, and Consensus on Science and Treatment Recommendations.
Dental assistants in Colorado are not required to complete a formal dental assistant certification program unless they are pursuing a dental assistant two or three level job that requires them to operate radiology equipment as a part of providing basic dental care services.
For general info on becoming a dental assistant, check out this article: Dental Assistants: Job Description and Requirements.
