Dental Practice Act: foreign dental schools.

Assembly Member Carrillo's legislation extends approval periods for previously authorized foreign dental schools while establishing new practice requirements for their graduates, part of a broader effort to address California's dental workforce shortages. The bill maintains approval for foreign dental schools authorized before January 2024 until they complete the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accreditation process, provided they apply by January 2026 and provide regular updates on their progress.

Graduates of these schools must now commit to practicing dentistry full-time for two years within their first three years of licensure at specified facilities, including federally qualified health centers, public hospital clinics, and primary care clinics serving underserved populations. The Dental Board of California retains authority to verify compliance and revoke licenses of practitioners who fail to meet these requirements.

The legislation requires the Board to compile comprehensive data on foreign dental school graduates by 2032, including examination pass rates, disciplinary actions, and demographic information about practice locations and languages spoken. This reporting requirement expires in 2034. The bill's findings note that approximately 2.2 million Californians live in dental health professional shortage areas, with particular gaps in rural regions and among providers accepting Medi-Cal patients.

For implementation, the Board must define full-time employment status and may grant case-by-case exemptions to the practice requirements. The Board will also provide information about areas experiencing dentist shortages to license applicants. These provisions aim to direct dental workforce resources toward communities with limited access to oral healthcare services.