Section 1220.245  Prescribed Duties of Dental Assistants

a)         "Dental Assistant" means an appropriately trained person who, under the supervision of a dentist, provides dental services or procedures as authorized by Section 17 of the Illinois Dental Practice Act or as prescribed by this Part.  "Appropriately trained" means a person who:

1)         Has completed formal training as a condition for administering a specific service or procedure as required by the Illinois Dental Practice Act or this Part; and

2)         Is considered, for all other authorized or prescribed services or procedures, by  the supervising dentist to be competent to render such service or procedure as a result of on-the-job training.

b)         Provided that a dental assistant is appropriately trained pursuant to this Section and is acting under the supervision and full responsibility of a dentist, a dental assistant may perform any dental service or procedure except the following:

1)         Any and all diagnosis of or prescription for treatment of disease, pain, deformity, deficiency, injury or physical condition of the human teeth or jaws, or adjacent structures.

2)         Removal of, restoration of, or addition to the hard or soft tissues of the oral cavity.  For purposes of this Section, coronal polishing and acid etching of a tooth surface are not considered removal of hard or soft tissues.

3)         Any and all correction of malformation of teeth or of the jaws.

4)         Administration of anesthetics except for topical anesthetics and monitoring of nitrous oxide as specified in this Section.

5)         Removal of calculus from teeth.

6)         Taking of final impressions for the fabricating of prosthetic appliances, crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, or other restorative or replacement dentistry.

7)         The operative procedure of dental hygiene consisting of oral prophylactic procedures except for coronal polishing as specified in this Section.

8)         Making denture adjustments.

9)         Condensing or carving amalgam restorations.

10)         Placing and finishing composite restorations.

11)         Permanently cementing permanent crowns or bridges.

12)         Permanently re-cementing permanent crowns or bridges that have come loose.

13)         Placement of any chemotherapeutic agent for the management of periodontal disease.

14)         Applying cavity bases.

15)         Cementing bands and/or bonding brackets.

16)         Performing supragingival or subgingival scaling.

17)         Performing pulp vitality tests.

c)         A dental assistant, who is at least 18 years of age and has 1000 hours of clinical dental assisting experience or has graduated from a dental assistant program  accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, or is a currently certified dental assistant as designated by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc., may perform the following services and procedures, but only under the following terms and conditions:

1)         Monitoring nitrous oxide, provided:

A)        The dental assistant has completed an approved course of 12 hours relative to nitrous oxide analgesia and has submitted certification to the dentist of valid completion of such course.  The course shall have been completed no earlier than January 1, 1998. 

i)          A dental assistant who has not completed the 12 hour course shall complete an approved course or courses totaling 6 hours or more relative to monitoring nitrous oxide analgesia and submit certification of successful completion to the dentist. 

ii)         Proof shall be made available to the Division upon request. 

iii)         The required hours shall include both didactic and clinical components and have been designed by an educational institution such as a dental school, dental hygiene or dental assistant program or by an approved CE sponsor.  The course shall include areas of anatomy, physiology, monitoring, pharmacology and emergency procedures with an emphasis on airway management.  Courses being offered by approved CE sponsors, as provided for in Section 1220.440(b)(2)(N) must be preapproved by the Division prior to their initial offering and must meet the requirements set forth in this subsection (c)(1);

B)        The dental assistant is functioning under the supervision of the dentist who must remain in the facility;

C)        Only a dentist or dental hygienist qualified pursuant to Section 1220.240(e) shall administer (start the flow of) nitrous oxide to the patient and control the induction of the gas so that the patient is at a level of analgesia, not anesthesia;

D)        Only a dentist or dental hygienist qualified pursuant to Section 1220.240(e) shall remove the patient from nitrous oxide when the dentist or dental hygienist has completed the procedures on the patient;

E)         If the dental assistant has completed a monitoring course or courses totaling 12 hours or more provided by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) or a similar course preapproved by the Division, the dental assistant need not complete the course hours required in subsection (c)(1)(A).  The course shall have been completed no earlier than December 31, 2002.  Proof shall be made available to the Division upon request;

F)         The dental assistant maintains Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers certification or its equivalent, which will be in addition to the required courses.  Certification or its equivalent shall be completed by September 30, 2011.

2)         Monitoring minimal sedation (anxiolysis), moderate sedation (conscious sedation), deep sedation, or general anesthesia, as defined in Section 1220.500, provided:

A)        The dental assistant is responsible for obtaining proof of certification validating completion of a course or courses totaling 12 hours or more.  The course or courses shall include areas of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, monitoring and emergency procedures with an emphasis on airway management.  The required hours shall include both didactic and clinical components and be given by a continuing education sponsor approved pursuant to Section 1220.440 or a dental hygiene program approved by the Division pursuant to Section 1220.250.

B)        If the dental assistant has complied with the provisions set forth in subsection (c)(1)(A), the dental assistant shall complete an additional 6 hour course on advanced airway management and monitoring equipment in lieu of the 12 hour course required in subsection (c)(2)(A).  Proof shall be made available to the Division upon request.

C)        If the dental assistant has completed a monitoring course or courses totaling 12 hours or more provided by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) or a similar course or courses preapproved by the Division, the dental assistant need not complete the course hours required in subsection (c)(2)(A).  The course shall have been completed no earlier than December 31, 2002.  Proof shall be made available to the Division upon request.

D)        The dental assistant is functioning under the supervision of the dentist who must remain in the facility.

E)         The dental assistant maintains Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers certification or its equivalent, which will be in addition to the required courses.  Certification or its equivalent shall be completed by September 30, 2011.

3)         Coronal polishing, provided:

A)        The dental assistant has completed an approved course of 6 hours relative to coronal polishing and has submitted certification of successful completion to the dentist.  Such course shall have been completed no earlier than January 1, 1998.  Proof shall be made available to the Division upon request.  The required hours shall include a minimum of 4 hours of didactic study in areas of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and dental emergencies and 2 hours of clinical instruction and have been provided by an educational institution such as a dental school, dental hygiene or dental assistant program or by an approved CE sponsor. Courses being offered by CE sponsors approved pursuant to Section 1220.440(b)(2)(N) must be preapproved by the Division prior to their initial offering and must meet the requirements set forth in this subsection (c)(2).  The assistant must pass an examination in the didactic portion of the course and the clinical portion must contain experience on human subjects;

B)        Coronal polishing is limited to polishing the clinical crown of the tooth and existing restoration, supragingivally;

C)        Coronal polishing is limited to the use of slow speed rotary instruments using a rubber cup and/or brush polishing method.  The use of air polish by dental assistants is not permitted; and

D)        A dentist shall be limited to supervising 4 dental assistants at any one time for the task of coronal polishing.

4)         Pit and fissure sealant application, provided:

A)        The dental assistant has completed a course of at least 2 hours of didactic study and 2 hours of clinical instruction;

B)        Prior to being permitted to place sealants in accord with this Section, the supervising dentist has personally observed the dental assistant successfully placing 6 pit and fissure sealants;

C)        The supervising dentist documents that the training has been completed; and

D)        The supervising dentist is responsible for examining the patient prior to and following the placement of sealants by a dental assistant.

d)         An individual who graduated from an approved dental assisting program after January 1, 1999 that contained monitoring of nitrous oxide, coronal polishing, and sealant application in the curriculum shall not be required to complete an additional course or courses in these areas as prescribed in this Section upon proof to the dentist of having successfully completed the required curriculum.

e)         All intraoral procedures performed by a dental assistant must be examined by the supervising dentist prior to the dismissal of the patient from the facility that day.

(Source:  Amended at 34 Ill. Reg. 7205, effective May 5, 2010)