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Cal. BPC § 1646.1

This is the official text of Cal. BPC § 1646.1, part of California’s Business and Professions Code — regulates business practices and professional/occupational licensing - contractors, doctors, cosmetologists, real estate agents, and dozens of other licensed professions.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

(a) A dentist shall possess an active dentist license or a permit under Section 1638 or 1640 issued by the board and an active general anesthesia permit in order to administer or order the administration of deep sedation or general anesthesia on an outpatient basis for dental patients.

(b) A dentist shall maintain current certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

(c) A dentist shall possess a pediatric endorsement of their general anesthesia permit to administer or order the administration of deep sedation or general anesthesia to patients under seven years of age.

(d) A dentist who administers or orders the administration of general anesthesia or deep sedation shall be physically present in the treatment facility while the patient is under general anesthesia or deep sedation.

(e) For patients under 13 years of age, all of the following shall apply:

(1) The operating dentist and at least two additional personnel shall be present throughout the procedure involving deep sedation or general anesthesia.

(2) If the operating dentist is the permitted anesthesia provider, then both of the following shall apply:

(A) The operating dentist and at least one of the additional personnel shall maintain current certification in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) or other board-approved training in pediatric life support and airway management, adopted pursuant to Section 1601.8. The additional personnel who is certified in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and airway management or other board-approved training in pediatric life support and airway management shall be solely dedicated to monitoring the patient and shall be trained to read and respond to monitoring equipment including, but not limited to, pulse oximeter, cardiac monitor, blood pressure, pulse, capnograph, and respiration monitoring devices.

(B) The operating dentist shall be responsible for initiating and administering any necessary emergency response.

(3) If a dedicated permitted anesthesia provider is monitoring the patient and administering deep sedation or general anesthesia, both of the following shall apply:

(A) The anesthesia provider and the operating dentist, or one other trained personnel, shall be present throughout the procedure and shall maintain current certification in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and airway management or other board-approved training in pediatric life support and airway management, adopted pursuant to Section 1601.8.

(B) The anesthesia provider shall be responsible for initiating and administering any necessary emergency response and the operating dentist, or other trained and designated personnel, shall assist the anesthesia provider in emergency response.

(f) This article does not apply to the administration of local anesthesia, minimal sedation, or moderate sedation.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.