Legislation Passes the NJ Senate that Adds a Dental Assistant to the State Board of Dentistry

The NJ Senate narrowly passed legislation, S748, by a vote of 22-9-9 that would add, for the first time, a dental assistant to the NJ State Board of Dentistry. The NJDA opposes this legislation. Advocates for this legislation claim that Dental Assistants have no representation on the Board, while the NJDA's position is that the State Board's principal job is to protect the public's interest and that dental assistants largely lack the knowledge and understanding of complex dental cases to materially improve public protection. A copy of the bill can be found here. The NJDA is urging its members to contact their Assemblypersons and asking them to oppose the legislation.