Part I, Introduction:
Dr. Daniel Davidson, current president of California Dental Association, in an email addressed to members on January 20, 2012 stated: “As your association president, I am writing this letter to respond to discussions and communications about SB 694 (Padilla) taking place in the environment. This bill, sponsored by The Children’s Partnership, seeks to reinstate a dental director and authorize a rigorous scientific study addressing safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of allowing non-dentists to perform advanced dental procedures on children only in a public health clinic setting.” He further states: “In supporting SB 694, CDA has been accused of supporting the creation of a new dental workforce position, specifically one that would experiment on underserved children or create a two-tiered system of care. To be clear, the proposed legislation does not call for the creation of a new dental provider, but rather a careful scientific study of whether non-dentists can perform some expanded procedures safely and with high quality”, and “Until the results of the study are complete, any permanent changes in scope of practice or creation of a new type of dental provider will be opposed by CDA”.
