Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. A dental
assistant is one who is employed by and works in the office of a licensed,
practicing dentist and performs the duties authorized by the Louisiana State
Board of Dentistry under the direct on-premises supervision, direction and
responsibility of the dentist.
B. A
dental assistant may only perform the following under the direct on-premises
supervision of the dentist who employs her or him as directly ordered by the
dentist:
1. serve as the dentist's chair side
assistant;
2. take and develop
dental radiographs and intra-oral photographs;
3. take and record pulse, blood pressure and
temperature;
4. apply:
a. non-aerosol topical anesthetics;
b. topical fluorides following prophylaxis by
a dentist or dental hygienist;
c.
desensitizing agents;
d.
non-endodontic oxygenating agents;
5. chart existing restorations and missing
teeth, floss teeth and make preliminary inspections of the mouth and teeth with
a mouth mirror and floss only;
6.
give intra-oral instructions and demonstrations on oral hygiene
procedures;
7. receive removable
prostheses for cleaning or repair work;
8. remove cement from dental restorations and
appliances, with hand instruments, limited to the clinical crown;
9. make dental plaque smears;
10. place or remove preformed crowns or bands
for determining size only when recommended by the dentist and only under his or
her supervision;
11. place or
remove ligatures, cut and tuck ligatures, remove tension devices and any loose
or broken bands or arch wires;
12.
place a removable retaining device in the mouth of a patient;
13. remove final impressions;
14. apply and remove rubber dams;
15. make preliminary study model impressions
and opposing model impressions;
16.
fabricate and remove interim crowns or bridges (interim meaning temporary while
permanent restoration is being fabricated);
17. condition teeth prior to placement of
orthodontics bands or brackets;
18.
place or remove temporary orthodontic separating devices;
19. remove sutures, post-extraction dressing
and surgical ligature ties.
C. exception: a dental assistant who has been
employed by a licensed, practicing dentist and has worked as a dental assistant
prior to July 30, 1992, may continue performing the following duties without
registering as an expanded duty dental assistant. These duties must also be
performed under the direct, on-premises supervision of the dentist:
1. apply cavity liners, excluding capping of
exposed pulpal tissue;
2. place,
wedge or remove matrices for restoration by the dentist;
3. place and remove periodontal
dressings;
4. place and remove
retraction cords.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
37:760(8).
