# What can California dental auxiliaries do and under what supervision? > Use this guide when you need the current California duties table, supervision definitions, and delegation boundaries for auxiliaries. Last verified: 2026-06-09 Reviewed by: Mahtab Mansour, DDS on 2026-04-25 (re-verification in progress) ## Direct answer - The current California duties table controls, especially after the January 1, 2025 updates. - Direct supervision, general supervision, and BSDP status are not interchangeable; exam stems often hinge on that distinction. - If a task sounds familiar from an older chart, verify it against the current Board table before trusting the shortcut. ## Full guide ## High-yield California rules for this topic ### Auxiliary supervision — the two-level model - **Two levels only** (BPC §1741): direct = dentist physically present in the facility and checks the completed work before the patient leaves the chair; general = advance authorization by written treatment plan; "indirect supervision" does not exist in California, and the dentist stays legally responsible for all delegated duties (BPC §1750.1).[^A17] [^A18] - **Scope** comes from the Table of Permitted Dental Auxiliary Duties (updated effective January 1, 2025), covering eight categories: DA, OA, DSA, RDA, RDAEF (the first five under the Dental Board) and RDH, RDHAP, RDHEF (the three hygiene categories under the Dental Hygiene Board).[^A6] [^A5] - **SB 1453 (effective January 1, 2025):** a DA must complete the Board-approved 8-hour infection-control course (16 CCR §1070.6 — at least four hours didactic, at least two hours laboratory/preclinical, at least two hours clinical) before any exposure-prone duty, with the old one-year grace period repealed; the former cap of three RDAEFs/RDHEFs per dentist (former BPC §1753.7) is repealed; and a DA may now perform coronal polishing (BPC §1741(g), §1750(f)(4)) after a board-approved course — with the 8-hour infection-control course and current BLS first — under direct supervision only.[^A38] [^A70] [^A20] [^A17] - **Only remaining numeric cap:** no more than five RDAEFs, RDHs, or RDHAPs concurrently supervised in telehealth under BPC §§1753.55, 1910.5, and 1926.05 (BPC §1684.5(d)).[^A15] **Memorize it:** **"2-D-G / 5-Tele / 8-IC"** — only 2 supervision levels (Direct/General); max 5 telehealth-supervised RDAEFs/RDHs/RDHAPs; 8-hour Infection Control course required before any DA exposure. [^A5]: `A5` 16 CCR Division 10 — Dental Board of California regulations index (includes §1068 posted-duties-table requirement). [^A6]: `A6` Dental Board of California, Table of Permitted Dental Auxiliary Duties, effective 1/1/2025. [^A11]: `A11` California Business & Professions Code §2290.5 — telehealth consent and parity. [^A14]: `A14` Dental Board of California minimum standards for infection control, 16 CCR §1005. [^A15]: `A15` California Business & Professions Code §§1611.5, 1625, 1680, 1684.1, 1684.5, 1763, 1800–1808 (dental corporations); Corporations Code §13400 et seq. (Moscone-Knox Professional Corporation Act); SB 351 private-equity restrictions. [^A16]: `A16` California Business & Professions Code §1611.3 — notice to consumers. [^A17]: `A17` California Business & Professions Code §1741 — direct and general supervision definitions. [^A18]: `A18` California Business & Professions Code §1750.1 — dental assistant duties. [^A19]: `A19` Dental Board of California — current anesthesia and sedation permit framework. [^A20]: `A20` Dental Board of California, SB 1453 alert for anesthesia and sedation changes effective 1/1/2025. [^A21]: `A21` California Business & Professions Code §651 — advertising rules and prohibitions. [^A22]: `A22` California Penal Code §11166 — child-abuse reporting under CANRA (immediate phone, written within 36 hours). [^A23]: `A23` California Welfare & Institutions Code §15630 — elder/dependent-adult abuse reporting (immediate, written within 2 working days). [^A25]: `A25` California Business & Professions Code §1611.5 — Board inspection power on complaint. [^A30]: `A30` California Business & Professions Code §1683.1 — telehealth provider identification disclosures. [^A31]: `A31` California Business & Professions Code §1683.2 — complaint-waiver prohibition (no gag clauses). [^A37]: `A37` California Business & Professions Code §1700 — current license, permit, and registration display; misdemeanor for failure (reinforced by SB 1453). [^A38]: `A38` California Business & Professions Code §1750 — DA definition, BSDP, and SB 1453 8-hour infection-control prerequisite. [^A41]: `A41` California Business & Professions Code §1701.5 — fictitious name permit. [^A44]: `A44` California Government Code §12950.1 — harassment-prevention training (5+ employees, 2h/1h, every 2 years); Labor Code §1102.5 retaliation protection. [^A45]: `A45` CDPH Medical Waste Management Program (MWMA). [^A46]: `A46` DTSC universal-waste guidance, including dental amalgam. [^A54]: `A54` California Penal Code §11160 — reporting of assaultive or abusive injuries (immediate, written within 2 working days). [^A58]: `A58` California Business & Professions Code §680 — nametag disclosure requirement, 18-point type. [^A70]: `A70` 16 CCR §1070.6 — Board-approved 8-hour infection-control course content for dental assistants (at least 4 hours didactic, 2 hours laboratory/preclinical, 2 hours clinical). [^A71]: `A71` 16 CCR §1044.5 — minimum equipment, oxygen, suction, and emergency-drug standards for sedation/anesthesia-permitted facilities. [^A72]: `A72` Proposition 65 dental-care warnings — HSC §§25249.6, 25249.11(b); 27 CCR §§25607.8–25607.9 safe-harbor sign or consent-form method (OEHHA regulations compilation). [^B3]: `B3` Cal/OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard, 8 CCR §5193 (Exposure Control Plan, sharps-injury log, annual training, post-exposure protocol). [^B4]: `B4` Dental Board of California, office-closure practical guidance newsletter. ## Related guides - [What California duties fall on the dental practice owner?](https://dentovio.com/guide/california-dentistry-law-ethics-exam/practice-owner-duties/index.html.md) - [What infection-control and OSHA rules apply to California dental offices?](https://dentovio.com/guide/california-dentistry-law-ethics-exam/infection-control-osha/index.html.md) - [What changed in California dental sedation and anesthesia rules?](https://dentovio.com/guide/california-dentistry-law-ethics-exam/sedation-anesthesia/index.html.md)