1. (1) The board shall promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to define registration requirements, duties, training, and standards of practice that may be performed by a dental assistant who has a minimum of one (1) year of dental office experience.
2. (2) The board shall approve the instructor and the courses of study for approving duties, training, and standards of practice that may be performed by a registered dental assistant.
3. (3) A registered dental assistant shall practice under the supervision, order, control, and full responsibility of a dentist licensed under this chapter.
4. (4) A registration issued to a registered dental assistant shall be continuously displayed in a conspicuous place in the office of the licensee.
5. (5) Supervising dentists shall only assign to registered dental assistants procedures that do not require the professional competence of a licensed dentist or a licensed dental hygienist.

6. (6) Registered dental assistant services may include coronal polishing, a cosmetic procedure that is not essential to therapeutic oral prophylaxis, if the following criteria are observed:

   1. (a) Polishing activities are limited to the use of a rubber cap attached to a slow- speed rotary dental handpiece or dental hygiene cordless polisher;
   2. (b) The assistant has received a certificate from the board's approved instructor that ensures the assistant has successfully completed a dental assisting course developed by the board and a committee of dental educators from the Kentucky institutions of dental education accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation; and
   3. (c) The dental assisting course includes basic dental assisting and coronal polishing instruction that includes didactic, preclinical, clinical training, and competency testing.

7. (7) Registered dental assistant services shall not include the following:

   1. (a) Diagnosis;
   2. (b) Treatment planning and prescription, including prescriptions for drugs or medicaments, or authorization for restorative, prosthodontic, or orthodontic appliances; and
   3. (c) Surgical procedures on hard or soft tissues of the oral cavity, or any other intraoral procedure that contributes to or results in an irreversible alteration of the oral anatomy.
8. (8) A licensed dentist may delegate the taking of radiographs to registered dental assistants who have completed board-approved training in radiography technique and safety. The course completion certificate shall be maintained by the supervising dentist and be made available to the board upon request.

Effective: April 13, 2026

History: Amended 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 131, sec. 8, effective April 13, 2026. -- Repealed and reenacted 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 85, sec. 8, effective July 15, 2010. -- Created 1964 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 6.