FOR CALIFORNIA DENTAL OFFICES
California Dental Compliance
Cal/OSHA, Dental Board of California and HIPAA requirements for your office, plus the training and written programs to meet them. Helping California dental offices since 1988.
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What California dental offices are required to have
California offices answer to both Cal/OSHA and the Dental Board of California, and several state rules go beyond federal OSHA. Here are the main requirements we help offices meet.
Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP)
Every California employer needs a written IIPP (Title 8, §3203).
- Named program administrator
- Hazard inspections and corrections
- Training and documentation
Bloodborne Pathogens
Dental offices must follow California's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (Title 8, §5193).
- Written Exposure Control Plan
- Sharps injury log and hepatitis B vaccine offer
- Annual employee training
Workplace Violence Prevention
Required for most California employers under Labor Code §6401.9.
- Written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
- Violent incident log
- Annual interactive training
Hazard Communication
Required when your team works with hazardous chemicals (Title 8, §5194).
- Written program and chemical inventory
- Safety Data Sheets on hand
- Labels and employee training
Infection Control & license renewal CE
Offices must meet the Board's Minimum Standards for Infection Control (16 CCR §1005).
- Infection Control CE every renewal
- California Dental Practice Act CE every renewal
- Dentists: Schedule II opioid prescribing CE
Patient privacy
California offices follow federal HIPAA plus the state Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.
- Privacy and security policies
- Staff training on patient information
- Breach response steps
This is a summary to help you plan, not legal advice. Regulations change, and CALM members get updates as they happen.
License renewal CE, by license and permit
California licenses and permits renew every two years. Here is how many CE units each one needs and which courses are required.
Dentists
Dental Board of California
Dental assistants
Dental Board of California
Dental hygienists
Dental Hygiene Board of California
Sedation & anesthesia permits
Dental Board of California
Required courses inside those units
2 units
Infection ControlEvery licensee, every renewal. Must be a Dental Board approved course. OSHA or Bloodborne Pathogens courses don't count.Take it online2 units
California Dental Practice ActEvery licensee, every renewal. Must be a Dental Board approved course. A HIPAA course doesn't count.Take it onlineUp to 4
Basic Life Support (BLS)Keep it current. Must include an in-person skills session and test; fully online BLS isn't accepted.- No more than half your units can be self-study or on demand. Live Zoom and in-person classes count as live.
- No more than 8 units count per day.
- Your first renewal after getting licensed doesn't require CE.
- Keep your certificates for three renewal periods.
- Hygienists: courses mainly for your own benefit count for no more than 20% of your units.
- Hold a license plus a permit? Check with the Board how the units combine.
Source: Dental Board of California and Dental Hygiene Board of California. Always confirm current requirements with your board before you renew.
Sexual harassment prevention training
Separate from CE, this is a California employer requirement for offices with 5 or more employees.
Who needs it and when
- Supervisors and doctors who supervise: 2 hours
- All other employees: 1 hour
- Repeat it every two years
- New hires and new supervisors: within six months
- Temporary or seasonal staff: within 30 days or 100 hours worked, whichever comes first
Keep a copy of each certificate in your training records.
Free official training from the California Civil Rights Department
Supervisor Training (2 hours) Employee Training (1 hour) Each course gives a certificate at the end. Save or print it right away; the state can't send a replacement. Other languages and details: calcivilrights.ca.gov/shptTwo ways we help California offices
Let us handle compliance for your whole office all year, or pick the individual CE courses your team needs.
The CALM Compliance System™
Built for California dental offices. We train your team, write your programs and keep you inspection ready.
- Annual live CE training, in person or on Zoom
- Custom OSHA manual with your IIPP, Exposure Control and Workplace Violence Prevention plans
- On-demand HIPAA and Workplace Violence Prevention training
- Monthly safety topics and make-up courses for missed staff
- Call or email us anytime
Plans from $239/month or $2,400/year
See CALM Plans & PricingBook a 15-Minute CallOnline CE courses
On demand. Certificates are emailed when you pass.
California compliance questions
Quick answers for California dentists and office managers.
Is Cal/OSHA different from federal OSHA for dental offices?
What CE do California dental licensees need every renewal?
What training does our team need every year?
We just opened or remodeled an office. Where do we start?
Not sure where your office stands?
Talk with Joyce or April for 15 minutes. We'll tell you what California requires for your office and the simplest way to get there.
Book a 15-Minute CallCall (760) 930-9401