From the Winter 2017 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
Dentists who provide care in hospitals or surgical centers and wish to have their employee dental assistants present during cases performed in these settings may be asked to have their dental assistants complete a state registration process. Hospitals and surgical centers are required to confirm the state registration status of anyone assisting in an operating room, including dental assistants. This requirement most commonly impacts oral surgeons, pediatric dentists and other dentists who provide a substantial volume of care in surgical settings outside their dental office.
In 2010, the Colorado legislature added a basic Surgical Assistant and Surgical Technologist Registration in response to high profile media stories about drug diversion and infection control issues in operating rooms. The Surgical Assistant and Surgical Technologist Registration involves completing a form with identifying information, a list of past employers, basic screening questions, completion of a health professions profile form and payment of a fee (currently $35). There are no specific education or training credentials required for the registration at this time. The Surgical Assistant and Surgical Technologist Registration requirement was renewed by the state legislature in 2016 and a criminal background check (an additional $40) was added to the registration process.
Since dental assistants are not otherwise licensed or registered in the state of Colorado, this Surgical Assistant and Surgical Technologist Registration requirement may apply when dental assistants provide services in a healthcare facility such as a hospital or surgical center. Registration requirements do not apply to dental assistants who perform services only in a dental office setting.
Dental assistants who need to complete this process are encouraged to apply in the Surgical Assistant category rather than the Surgical Technologist category (there is no difference in the cost or registration process, however, the Surgical Assistant category is more broad in its allowed scope of duties). Learn more about the registration process.