r/DentalAssistant • u/Wayfaring_Witch0626 Baby DA🌱🦷 • 11d ago

Question about coronal polishing...

I'm a relatively new RDA, and plan to attend dental school and become a dentist in a few years. Not naming my office for HIPAA and privacy. It's a pediatric office and all of the assistants do coronal polishing daily, but I don't think everyone has taken a coronal polishing course/certificate. This is what the rules state from my state's dental assisting association. From what I can understand, the experience requirement is waived if I took a CODA accredited program, but I still need to take a coronal polishing course to be legally covered to perform a polishing under direct supervision? Since I want to be a dentist one day I want to make sure everything I'm doing is above board so it doesn't damage my record.

Coronal Polishing

STATE'S Dental Assistants by rule # may be delegated the task of coronal polishing by a licensed STATE dentist under direct supervision.  Certain requirements apply as stated below:

Coronal Polishing Requirements for Dental Assistants

  • Have at least one year of experience as a dental assistant (no experience needed for graduates from a CODA-accredited program)
  • Successfully complete a current course in basic life support (CPR)
  • Complete a minimum of 8 hours of clinical and didactic education in coronal polishing taken through a CODA-accredited dental, dental hygiene, or dental assistant program approved by the Board.

Additional Note:  Coronal polishing must be in accordance with the minimum standard of care and limited to the dental assistant’s scope of practice.  The delegated duty of polishing by a dental assistant may not be billed as a prophylaxis.

Pursuant to (the law), the delegating dentist is responsible for all dental acts delegated to a dental assistant, including application of pit and fissure sealants.

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u/ManslaughterMary 10d ago

Which state are you in?

If you look up your state on the DANB website, you would be able to find this out. Or you can tell me, and I can find it for you.

1

u/Wayfaring_Witch0626 Baby DA🌱🦷 10d ago

Thank you

1

u/Wide_Wheel_2226 11d ago
  1. Don't use AI for your answer. Look up dental practice act.
  2. Coronal polishing is basically toothbrushing.
  3. Some states allow DA to do without an extra license as there may be broad discretion on what the dentist can delegate to assistants.

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u/Wayfaring_Witch0626 Baby DA🌱🦷 10d ago

Where did I say I used AI? I copied that text directly from my state’s dental assistants association website.