Assessment + Records
15%of exam
Dental Procedures
50%of exam
Infection Control + Safety
25%of exam
Laws + Regulations
10%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- CA RDA
- Owner
- Dental Board
- Vendor
- PSI
- Items
- 125 MCQ
- Scored
- 100 scored
- Pretest
- 25 unscored
- Time
- 3 hours
- Result
- Pass/fail
- Fee
- $46.59 PSI
- Application
- $120 Board
X-ray Errors
Cone=aim, overlap=horizontal, length=vertical
Cone cut: PIDOverlap: horizontalShort: too steepLong: too flat
Bitewing vs Periapical
Bitewing
- Crowns
- Contacts
- Bone levels
Periapical
- Whole tooth
- Apex
- Periapical bone
Crown contacts vs apex
Record Picker
- Interproximal decay→Bitewing(Posterior crowns)
- Root apex issue→Periapical(Whole tooth)
- Full arch view→Panoramic(Broad survey)
- Pocket depth→Periodontal probe(Millimeters)
- Obvious lesions→Mouth mirror(Visual inspection)
- Medical change→History update(Before treatment)
History
- Medications
- Treatment impact
- Allergies
- Material risk
- Premedication
- Dentist verifies
- Blood thinners
- Bleeding risk
- Diabetes
- Meal timing
- Pregnancy
- Radiation caution
- Tobacco
- Oral risk
Vitals
- BP cuff
- Correct size
- Radial pulse
- Thumb-side wrist
- Respiration
- Observe quietly
- Temperature
- Fever screen
- High BP
- Alert dentist
- Syncope
- Supine, legs raised
- Anaphylaxis
- Epinephrine, EMS
Charting
- Universal
- #1 to #32
- Primary
- A to T
- Palmer
- Quadrant brackets
- #8
- Max right central
- #9
- Max left central
- Missing
- X through tooth
- Probe
- Pocket depths
Radiographs
- Bitewing
- Interproximal caries
- Periapical
- Entire tooth
- Panoramic
- Full arches
- Occlusal
- Large arch area
- Cone cut
- PID misaligned
- Overlap
- Horizontal error
- Foreshortening
- Vertical too steep
- Elongation
- Vertical too flat
Domain Weights
Procedures dominate: 50, 25, 15, 10
Procedures 50Infection 25Assessment 15Law 10
Coronal Polish vs Scaling
Coronal polish
- Plaque/stain
- No calculus
- Rubber cup
Scaling
- Calculus removal
- Sharp instruments
- Different scope
Stain vs calculus
Procedure Picker
- Moisture control→Dental dam(Dry field)
- Class II wall→Matrix band(Contour)
- Open contact→Wedge(Adapt band)
- Temporary coverage→Provisional(Protect prep)
- Deep pits→Sealant(Prevent decay)
- Surface stain→Coronal polish(Extrinsic only)
Preparation
- Procedure stage
- Anticipate sequence
- Tray setup
- Procedure-specific
- Matrix band
- Restoration wall
- Wedge
- Seal gingival margin
- Dental dam
- Dry isolation
- HVE
- Aerosol control
- Cotton rolls
- Moisture control
Restorations
- Amalgam carrier
- Places material
- Condenser
- Packs amalgam
- Burnisher
- Smooths restoration
- Composite
- Light cured resin
- Etchant
- Creates retention
- ZOE
- Sedative temporary cement
- Provisional
- Temporary coverage
Preventive
- Sealant
- Pit protection
- Coronal polish
- Extrinsic stain removal
- Fluoride varnish
- Topical protection
- Pumice
- Clean enamel
- Explorer check
- Sealant retention
- 45 degrees
- Brush gumline
- Two minutes
- Brushing duration
Materials
- Alginate
- Preliminary impression
- Gypsum
- Study model
- IRM
- Temporary restoration
- Glass ionomer
- Fluoride release
- Bonding agent
- Resin adhesion
- Manufacturer ratio
- Mixing control
- Working time
- Manipulation window
Sterilization Flow
Clean, dry, wrap, sterilize, store
Clean firstDry before wrapMonitor cycleProtect sterility
Sterilize vs Disinfect
Sterilize
- Kills all microbes
- Includes spores
- Critical items
Disinfect
- Reduces pathogens
- Not always spores
- Surfaces/items
All life vs most
Infection Picker
- Penetrates tissue→Sterilize(Critical item)
- Touches mucosa→Heat sterilize(Semicritical)
- Touches intact skin→Disinfect(Noncritical)
- Aerosol splash→Mask plus eyewear(PPE)
- Sharp cleanup→Utility gloves(Puncture resistant)
- Needlestick occurs→Report exposure(Follow protocol)
Standard Precautions
- All patients
- Treat as infectious
- Hand hygiene
- Before gloves
- Gloves
- Single patient
- Mask
- Change between patients
- Eyewear
- Clean or discard
- Barriers
- Protect contact surfaces
- Sharps
- Never reach blindly
Critical vs Semicritical
Critical
- Penetrates tissue
- Highest risk
- Heat sterilize
Semicritical
- Touches mucosa
- Lower risk
- Sterilize if possible
Tissue vs mucosa
Sterilization
- Critical
- Penetrates tissue
- Semicritical
- Touches mucosa
- Noncritical
- Touches intact skin
- Cleaning
- Remove debris first
- Packaging
- Dry before wrapping
- Autoclave
- Steam sterilization
- Biological monitor
- Spore test
- Flash
- Not routine
Universal vs Standard Precautions
Universal
- Blood/OPIM
- OSHA BBP
- Dental saliva
Standard
- All patients
- Broader fluids
- CDC practice
Bloodborne vs broader
Hazards
- OPIM
- Potentially infectious material
- Saliva
- Dental BBP risk
- SDS
- Chemical hazard info
- Utility gloves
- Instrument cleanup
- Exposure plan
- Written BBP control
- HBV vaccine
- Employer offered
- Needlestick
- Report immediately
Radiation Safety
- ALARA
- Lowest reasonable exposure
- Fast receptor
- Lower dose
- Collimation
- Limits beam
- Thyroid collar
- Patient shielding
- Operator
- Stand shielded
- Retakes
- Avoid errors
- Pregnancy
- Use shielding
License Pipeline
Apply, qualify, test, clear, issue
Board approvesPSI testsFingerprints clearBoard issues
Direct vs General Supervision
Direct
- Dentist present
- Exam as required
- Immediate oversight
General
- Dentist authorizes
- Not necessarily present
- Duty-specific
Present vs authorized
Scope Picker
- Before dentist exam→Limited exceptions(BPC 1684.5)
- Emergency image→Expose radiograph(Dentist direction)
- Patient asks risks→Dentist explains(Consent)
- PHI request→Minimum necessary(HIPAA)
- Suspected abuse→Report(Mandated duty)
- License not issued→Do not claim RDA(Board controls)
Exam Facts
- CIB
- March 2026 bulletin
- Outline
- 2023 Board outline
- Eligibility
- Two years
- Retake
- PSI after one week
- Score
- No numeric score
- License
- Not automatic
Consent vs HIPAA
Consent
- Treatment permission
- Risks/benefits
- Alternatives
HIPAA
- PHI protection
- Minimum necessary
- Privacy practices
Treat vs disclose
Licensure Pathways
- Approved RDA
- Board program
- Work route
- 15 months, 1280 hours
- Nonboard school
- School plus work
- CDA route
- Active DANB CDA
- Alternative
- 500 didactic, 300 clinical
- Preceptorship
- 500 clinical, 300 coursework
- RDH route
- Active California RDH
Required Courses
- Radiation
- 32 hours
- Coronal polish
- 12 hours
- Sealants
- 16 hours
- Dental Practice Act
- 2 hours
- Infection Control
- 8 hours
- BLS
- Current certification
- Fingerprints
- DOJ and FBI
Scope
- Patient record
- Dentist examined
- Direct supervision
- Dentist present
- General supervision
- Dentist authorizes
- Auxiliary duties
- Post in office
- Unlicensed DA
- Basic supportive duties
- Pit sealants
- License required
- Ultrasonic scaling
- License required
Ethics + Records
- Consent
- Risks, benefits, alternatives
- Refusal
- Patient right
- HIPAA
- Protect PHI
- Minimum necessary
- Limit access
- Mandated report
- Suspected abuse
- Abandonment
- No proper notice
- Boundary
- Avoid conflicts
Common Traps
Score vs items
125 total items ≠ 100 scored items
Pass vs license
Pass satisfies exam ≠ Board issues license
PSI vs Board
PSI schedules tests ≠ Board controls licensure
Pretest vs scored
Pretest unmarked ≠ Scored counts
Polish vs scale
Polish removes stain ≠ Scaling removes calculus
Cone vs overlap
Cone cut is PID ≠ Overlap is horizontal
Clean vs sterilize
Clean removes debris ≠ Sterilize kills spores
Consent vs privacy
Consent permits treatment ≠ HIPAA protects PHI
Last Minute
- 1.Weights: 15 / 50 / 25 / 10
- 2.Exam: 100 scored plus 25 pretest
- 3.Time: 3 hours
- 4.Board approves; PSI administers
- 5.Pass does not equal license
- 6.Critical items penetrate tissue
- 7.Semicritical items touch mucosa
- 8.Clean before sterilization
- 9.ALARA means lowest reasonable exposure
- 10.Bitewings show interproximal caries
- 11.Periapicals show root apex
- 12.HIPAA: minimum necessary PHI
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