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Committee advances bill to create 'oral preventative assistant' role with amended scope and reporting requirements
Summary
SB 1124 would permit certified dental assistants who complete approved expanded-functions training to practice as oral preventative assistants (OPAs) in shortage areas for five years; committee adopted an amendment narrowing scope of practice, supervision ratios and requiring data collection by the Board of Dental Examiners
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee gave SB 1124 a due-pass recommendation after adopting an amendment that narrowed the oral preventative assistant (OPA) scope of practice and added reporting requirements.
As amended, the bill establishes a pathway for dental assistants to function as OPAs after completing an expanded-functions course approved by the Board of Dental Examiners (Bodex). The committee amendment removed periodontal probing and periodontal documentation from the OPA scope, limited OPAs to performing supragingival scaling and polishing only after a dentist or dental hygienist has completed a periodontal evaluation, required OPAs to practice under direct dentist supervision, limited each dentist to supervising no more than three OPAs at a time, and tasked Bodex with coordinating with a statewide dentist association to collect and report data on OPA numbers, practice locations and complaints by Jan. 1, 2028.
Proponents from the Arizona Dental Association said workforce shortages in dental hygiene — accelerated after the pandemic — are a major driver and that OPAs could help expand preventive care, especially in federally designated dental health professional shortage areas and smaller counties. The Arizona Dental Hygienist Association said the committee amendment addressed many concerns; the hygienists’ association remained neutral with outstanding concerns about education standards and asked for further statutory detail instead of leaving all standards to rulemaking.
Other testifying dental assistants and educators asked for stronger representation of assistants in developing training standards and raised concerns about patient notice and scope clarity; proponents said further amendments and stakeholder work were likely before the bill’s floor consideration.
Committee action and vote: the committee adopted a two-page show-up amendment and moved SB 1124 as amended with a due-pass recommendation; roll call recorded 5 ayes, 1 no and 1 not voting. Supporters flagged the amendment’s supervision limits and reporting requirements as safeguards.
Ending: SB 1124 advanced from committee as amended; proponents and industry groups signaled continued negotiation on training standards and statutory detail before the floor vote.
