Oregon legislators are supporting two bills in the House of Representatives that would get rid of written tests for dental assistants, according to an April 6 report by The Lund Report.
House Bill 2996 prevents the state board of dentistry and health authority from requiring dental assistants to pass a written exam in order to receive X-ray certification. Thirteen other states already do not require certification in order to operate an X-ray, the report said.
House Bill 3223 gets rid of the written test barrier for other certifications, including polishing dental restorations, placing orthodontic wires and removing excess cement from crowns.
Rep. Cyrus Javadi, DDS, is a dentist in Oregon and a chief sponsor for both of the bills.
The two bills have passed in the House of Representatives and are up for hearings in the Senate.