California signs AB 1760 dentistry changes
Sep 27, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0019 · Published 2026-09-27 · Version 2 · Final
AB 1760 revises dental licensure, permit and assistant-training provisions, including a January 2028 radiation-course approval transition.
What happened
California chaptered AB 1760 on August 31. Its dentistry amendments address eligibility and documentary evidence for licensure, including recognized foreign-school accreditation and alternative out-of-state practice pathways; elective facial cosmetic surgery still requires the specified permit, training, experience and privileges. The act also revises registered dental assistant provisions. Its enactment is distinct from commencement: the ordinary January 1, 2027 effective-date rule applies, while the radiation-course transition names a later date.
Radiation-safety instruction must retain theory, laboratory and patient-clinical components, with at least 32 hours divided into eight didactic, twelve laboratory and twelve clinical hours. Distance delivery is allowed for didactic instruction with technology assistance and completion before laboratory work; it does not turn the whole course into remote instruction. Previously approved courses retain approval only until January 1, 2028 and must apply under the new provision to offer courses on or after that date. Extended-function assistant duties remain tied to direct supervision, appropriate education and the dentist’s determination of competence for contemporary techniques and materials.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Final
- Applicability
- Operationally relevant
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks
- Jurisdiction
- California
Why it matters
Credentialing and course providers need to separate revised eligibility evidence from authorization to perform procedures and the course-approval transition.
Recommended action
Review each affected dental credential, permit and assistant role before commencement. Course providers should map required instructional components and obtain approval for offerings from January 1, 2028 rather than treating prior approval as permanent.
Sources
- AB 1760, chaptered textOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-08-31 · Source review 2026-09-06
- AB 1760, legislative historyOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-08-31 · Source review 2026-09-06
- Official retained source documentOfficial · Official issuing agency · Source review 2026-10-16
Complete edition and supplemental material
This finding in the complete approved report →Regulatory horizons, CIA trends and implementation trackers remain in the full report.
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