DENTAL LAWS AND INFECTION CONTROL FINAL, JURISPRUDENCE EXAM STUDY GUIDE, NC
LAWS, NC, STUDY, LAWS QUI QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS)
PLUS RATIONALES 2026 Q&A |LATEST EXAM UPDATE 2026/2027
Section One: Questions 1–100
Under North Carolina dental law, who has the ultimate responsibility for all clinical operations and
patient care delivered within a dental practice?
A. The office manager
🟢 B. The licensed dentist owner
C. The dental hygienist on duty
D. The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners
🔴 RATIONALE: North Carolina statutes mandate that a licensed dentist who owns or operates a
practice retains ultimate legal and ethical responsibility for all clinical decisions, operations, and
patient treatments provided within that facility.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, how often should
biological monitoring (spore testing) of steam sterilizers be performed in a dental office?
🟢 A. At least weekly
B. Every 24 hours
C. Once a month
D. Every 50 cycles
🔴 RATIONALE: CDC infection control guidelines require dental practices to perform biological
monitoring using spore tests at least weekly to ensure the effectiveness of the sterilization process.
In North Carolina, what is the maximum number of full-time dental hygienists a single dentist can
supervise at any given time in a private practice setting?
A. One
B. Two
,🟢 C. Three
D. Four
🔴 RATIONALE: North Carolina dental practice acts restrict a single dentist from supervising more
than three full-time dental hygienists at any one time to ensure adequate oversight and patient
safety.
Which type of patient transmission requires the use of airborne precautions, such as an N95
respirator, in addition to standard precautions?
A. Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
B. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
🟢 C. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
D. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
🔴 RATIONALE: Tuberculosis is transmitted through tiny airborne droplet nuclei that can remain
suspended in the air; therefore, standard surgical masks are insufficient, and airborne precautions
are mandatory.
A patient requests a copy of their complete dental records to seek a second opinion. Under North
Carolina law and HIPAA, the dental office:
🟢 A. Must provide the records but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copying.
B. Can withhold the records until the patient pays their outstanding clinical balance.
C. May legally deny the request if the dentist disagrees with the second opinion.
D. Must provide the records entirely free of charge regardless of copying costs.
🔴 RATIONALE: HIPAA and state laws mandate that patients have a right to access their
medical/dental records; access cannot be withheld due to an unpaid balance, though a reasonable
fee for the cost of reproduction is permitted.
,What is the correct protocol if a chemical indicator inside a sterilization wrap does not change color
after a cycle?
A. Use the instruments anyway if the external tape changed color.
B. Run the instruments through a short rinse cycle before clinical use.
🟢 C. Consider the entire load unsterile, re-wrap, and re-sterilize the items.
D. Wipe the instruments down with an EPA-registered intermediate disinfectant.
🔴 RATIONALE: A failed internal chemical indicator indicates that the specific load did not meet
the necessary parameters (temperature, time, or steam) for sterilization. The entire load must be
re-processed.
Which of the following functions can a North Carolina dental assistant holding a Dental Assistant II
(DA II) credential perform that a DA I cannot?
🟢 A. Coronal polishing
B. Taking intraoral radiographs
C. Pouring diagnostic plaster models
D. Performing oral cancer screenings
🔴 RATIONALE: Under NC administrative code, a DA II who has completed the required education
and training is legally permitted to perform coronal polishing, whereas a DA I is restricted from this
duty.
What category of medical waste includes items like extracted teeth and blood-soaked gauze that
can release fluid when compressed?
A. Non-regulated solid waste
🟢 B. Regulated biohazardous waste
C. Chemical hazardous waste
D. General hazardous materials
🔴 RATIONALE: Items saturated with blood or saliva that could release liquid fluid under pressure,
, along with hard tissues like extracted teeth, are classified as regulated medical/biohazardous
waste requiring specialized disposal.
The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners consists of how many members in total?
A. Six
B. Seven
🟢 C. Eight
D. Nine
🔴 RATIONALE: The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners is composed of eight
members, including six licensed dentists, one licensed dental hygienist, and one public member.
Which level of disinfection is required for cleaning clinical contact surfaces that have been visibly
soiled with blood or potentially infectious materials?
A. Low-level disinfection without tuberculocidal activity
🟢 B. Intermediate-level disinfection with tuberculocidal activity
C. High-level disinfection/sterilization
D. Sanitization via commercial detergent
🔴 RATIONALE: The CDC and OSHA mandate that clinical contact surfaces contaminated with
blood must be treated with an EPA-registered, intermediate-level hospital disinfectant that
possesses tuberculocidal activity.
What action must a North Carolina dentist take if a dental hygienist under their employment
commits a serious ethical or clinical violation?
A. Hide the incident to protect the reputation of the private practice.
B. Report the incident only if the patient files a formal civil lawsuit.
🟢 C. Address the issue internally and report the behavior to the NC Dental Board if it violates
state practice acts.
D. Automatically surrender their own license to the Board.
LAWS, NC, STUDY, LAWS QUI QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS)
PLUS RATIONALES 2026 Q&A |LATEST EXAM UPDATE 2026/2027
Section One: Questions 1–100
Under North Carolina dental law, who has the ultimate responsibility for all clinical operations and
patient care delivered within a dental practice?
A. The office manager
🟢 B. The licensed dentist owner
C. The dental hygienist on duty
D. The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners
🔴 RATIONALE: North Carolina statutes mandate that a licensed dentist who owns or operates a
practice retains ultimate legal and ethical responsibility for all clinical decisions, operations, and
patient treatments provided within that facility.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, how often should
biological monitoring (spore testing) of steam sterilizers be performed in a dental office?
🟢 A. At least weekly
B. Every 24 hours
C. Once a month
D. Every 50 cycles
🔴 RATIONALE: CDC infection control guidelines require dental practices to perform biological
monitoring using spore tests at least weekly to ensure the effectiveness of the sterilization process.
In North Carolina, what is the maximum number of full-time dental hygienists a single dentist can
supervise at any given time in a private practice setting?
A. One
B. Two
,🟢 C. Three
D. Four
🔴 RATIONALE: North Carolina dental practice acts restrict a single dentist from supervising more
than three full-time dental hygienists at any one time to ensure adequate oversight and patient
safety.
Which type of patient transmission requires the use of airborne precautions, such as an N95
respirator, in addition to standard precautions?
A. Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
B. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
🟢 C. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
D. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
🔴 RATIONALE: Tuberculosis is transmitted through tiny airborne droplet nuclei that can remain
suspended in the air; therefore, standard surgical masks are insufficient, and airborne precautions
are mandatory.
A patient requests a copy of their complete dental records to seek a second opinion. Under North
Carolina law and HIPAA, the dental office:
🟢 A. Must provide the records but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copying.
B. Can withhold the records until the patient pays their outstanding clinical balance.
C. May legally deny the request if the dentist disagrees with the second opinion.
D. Must provide the records entirely free of charge regardless of copying costs.
🔴 RATIONALE: HIPAA and state laws mandate that patients have a right to access their
medical/dental records; access cannot be withheld due to an unpaid balance, though a reasonable
fee for the cost of reproduction is permitted.
,What is the correct protocol if a chemical indicator inside a sterilization wrap does not change color
after a cycle?
A. Use the instruments anyway if the external tape changed color.
B. Run the instruments through a short rinse cycle before clinical use.
🟢 C. Consider the entire load unsterile, re-wrap, and re-sterilize the items.
D. Wipe the instruments down with an EPA-registered intermediate disinfectant.
🔴 RATIONALE: A failed internal chemical indicator indicates that the specific load did not meet
the necessary parameters (temperature, time, or steam) for sterilization. The entire load must be
re-processed.
Which of the following functions can a North Carolina dental assistant holding a Dental Assistant II
(DA II) credential perform that a DA I cannot?
🟢 A. Coronal polishing
B. Taking intraoral radiographs
C. Pouring diagnostic plaster models
D. Performing oral cancer screenings
🔴 RATIONALE: Under NC administrative code, a DA II who has completed the required education
and training is legally permitted to perform coronal polishing, whereas a DA I is restricted from this
duty.
What category of medical waste includes items like extracted teeth and blood-soaked gauze that
can release fluid when compressed?
A. Non-regulated solid waste
🟢 B. Regulated biohazardous waste
C. Chemical hazardous waste
D. General hazardous materials
🔴 RATIONALE: Items saturated with blood or saliva that could release liquid fluid under pressure,
, along with hard tissues like extracted teeth, are classified as regulated medical/biohazardous
waste requiring specialized disposal.
The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners consists of how many members in total?
A. Six
B. Seven
🟢 C. Eight
D. Nine
🔴 RATIONALE: The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners is composed of eight
members, including six licensed dentists, one licensed dental hygienist, and one public member.
Which level of disinfection is required for cleaning clinical contact surfaces that have been visibly
soiled with blood or potentially infectious materials?
A. Low-level disinfection without tuberculocidal activity
🟢 B. Intermediate-level disinfection with tuberculocidal activity
C. High-level disinfection/sterilization
D. Sanitization via commercial detergent
🔴 RATIONALE: The CDC and OSHA mandate that clinical contact surfaces contaminated with
blood must be treated with an EPA-registered, intermediate-level hospital disinfectant that
possesses tuberculocidal activity.
What action must a North Carolina dentist take if a dental hygienist under their employment
commits a serious ethical or clinical violation?
A. Hide the incident to protect the reputation of the private practice.
B. Report the incident only if the patient files a formal civil lawsuit.
🟢 C. Address the issue internally and report the behavior to the NC Dental Board if it violates
state practice acts.
D. Automatically surrender their own license to the Board.
