(a) There is established a Board of Dentistry consisting of 7 members appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council.

(b) The Board of Dentistry shall regulate the practices of dentistry and dental hygiene and dental assistants, issue teaching licenses as provided under § 3-1205.08b, and issue certifications to dentists and facilities where dentistry is practiced to permit a dentist to administer general or sedation anesthesia.

(c) Of the members of the Board, 5 shall be dentists licensed in the District, 1 shall be a dental hygienist licensed in the District, and 1 shall be a consumer member.

(d) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, members of the Board shall be appointed for terms of 3 years.

(e) Of the members initially appointed under this section, 2 shall be appointed for a term of 1 year, 2 shall be appointed for a term of 2 years, and 3 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. The terms of the members first appointed shall begin on the date that a majority of the first members are sworn in, which shall become the anniversary date for all subsequent appointments.

(f) The Board shall provide advice to the Mayor concerning limitations, which the Mayor may impose by rule, on the number of dental hygienists who may be supervised by 1 dentist, provided that the limit may not be reduced below the ratio of 2 dental hygienists to 1 dentist, and provided that this limitation shall not apply to dentists or dental hygienists who are employees of, or operating pursuant to a contract with, the District or federal government.

(g) The Board of Dentistry may adopt regulations governing:

(1) The administration of general anesthesia by a licensed dentist;

(2) The administration of sedation by a licensed dentist;

(3) The issuance of a certification to a facility where a dentist administers or has general anesthesia or sedation administered; and

(4) The issuance of a certification to a dentist who administers or has general anesthesia or sedation administered.

(h) Pursuant to § 7-1671.07, the Board shall review and audit written recommendations for the use of medical marijuana issued by dentists pursuant to § 7-1671.04 and shall have the authority to discipline any dentist who has acted outside the scope of the dentist's authority under Chapter 16B of Title 7.

(Mar. 25, 1986, D.C. Law 6-99, § 201, 33 DCR 729; Oct. 7, 1987, D.C. Law 7-31, § 3(a), 34 DCR 3789; July 7, 2009, D.C. Law 18-15, § 2(d), 56 DCR 3616; Mar. 26, 2014, D.C. Law 20-96, § 102(e), 61 DCR 1184; Feb. 18, 2017, D.C. Law 21-209, § 3(a), 63 DCR 15291.)

1981 Ed., § 2-3302.1.

This section is referenced in § 1-523.01.

D.C. Law 18-15 rewrote subsec. (b), which had read as follows: “(b) The Board shall regulate the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene.”

The 2014 amendment by D.C. Law 20-96 rewrote (b), which previously read “The Board shall regulate the practices of dentistry and dental hygiene and dental assistants”; and added (g).