CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Dental Hygienist Decision Reversed

A state appeals court in Sacramento ruled that regulators illegally approved an experiment allowing dental hygienists to treat patients without the supervision of a dentist, officials said. Under the test program, administered through Cal State Northridge, 16 Southern California hygienists were allowed to treat patients without a dentist’s supervision. All other hygienists are required by state law to work with a dentist. The 3rd District Court of Appeal ruled that the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development should have held a public hearing on the program before approving the test, which began two years ago.