CA Dental Hygiene Law & Ethics study guide
CA Dental Hygiene Law & Ethics · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The California Dental Hygiene Law & Ethics Examination is the jurisprudence exam that California requires of candidates seeking registered dental hygienist licensure. It is separate from the clinical and national written examinations: those test clinical competence, while this one tests whether you know the law that governs your license - the Dental Practice Act, the board's regulations, and the professional standards attached to practice in this state. The CA Dental Hygiene Law & Ethics study guide has 7 sections and about 2,328 words.
01The California Dental Practice Act: Statute, Regulation, and Board Enforcement
The Dental Practice Act is Division 2, Chapter 4 of the Business and Professions Code (starting at §1600), amplified by Board regulations in Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations. The Dental Board of California, an agency within the Department of Consumer Affairs, adopts those regulations, issues and renews licenses, approves schools and CE providers, and disciplines licensees.
348 words, about 2 min02RDH Scope of Practice, Supervision Levels, Settings, and Extended Functions
Direct supervision: the dentist is physically present in the treatment facility and available for immediate consultation. General supervision: the dentist has examined the patient and authorized the procedure but need not be on site.
333 words, about 2 min03Licensure, Renewal, Continuing Education, and Unprofessional Conduct
Graduation from a Board-approved dental hygiene program, passage of the required national and clinical/regional examinations, fingerprint clearance, and application. Licenses renew every two years.
323 words, about 2 min04Infection Control, Sterilization, and Workplace Safety
Treat every patient as potentially infectious. Hand hygiene before and after glove use; PPE matched to anticipated exposure (gloves, mask, eye protection, gown); engineered sharps devices; no two-handed recapping; immediate disposal in a rigid sharps container.
330 words, about 2 min05Professional Ethics: Autonomy, Consent, Confidentiality, Fiduciary Duty, and Boundaries
Consent is a conversation, not a signature. The patient must receive the diagnosis, the nature of the proposed treatment, material risks and benefits, alternatives (including no treatment), and the consequences of refusal, in language they understand.
316 words, about 2 min06Legal Responsibilities: Negligence, Records, Privacy, and Mandatory Reporting
Four elements must line up: a duty of care owed, breach of the standard of care, causation, and actual damages. The standard is what a reasonably prudent hygienist in similar circumstances would do.
323 words, about 2 min07Patient Rights, Professional Communication, and Referral Obligations
Patients have the right to be informed, to consent or refuse, to privacy, to access their records, to be treated with dignity, and to be free from discrimination. That last right carries practical duties: reasonable accommodation for disability under the ADA, effective communication for limited-English-proficiency patients (a qualified interpreter, not a child), and clear fee information before treatment begins.
355 words, about 2 min