FL Dental Laws & Rules cheat sheet

The Florida Board of Dentistry has 11 members appointed by the Governor: seven licensed dentists, two licensed dental hygienists, and two consumer members.

The practice of dentistry includes diagnosing and treating conditions of the teeth, jaws, oral cavity, and adjacent structures, including restorative, surgical, and prescribing services.

Dental hygiene licensure requires graduation from an accredited dental hygiene program, passage of required examinations, and satisfaction of other Board requirements.

A dental laboratory must register with the Department of Health and may perform services only on written work authorization from a licensed dentist.

Practicing dentistry or dental hygiene without an active Florida license is prohibited and subject to cease-and-desist orders and penalties.

Direct supervision requires the dentist to have examined the patient, authorized the procedure, and remain physically present in the office during the delegated service.

Dentists may delegate only remediable tasks authorized by Board rule; final diagnosis, treatment planning, and surgical procedures remain the dentist's responsibility.

Licensed dental hygienists may provide services such as prophylaxis, scaling, topical fluoride, sealants, and radiographs within the supervision levels set by law, but may not diagnose or prescribe.

Chapter 456 supplies general licensing, disciplinary, investigatory, and enforcement authority for Florida health care practitioners, including dentists and dental hygienists.

Florida dental and dental hygiene licenses are renewed biennially; practicing after expiration without renewal constitutes unlicensed practice.

Upon a proper written request, a health care practitioner must provide copies of patient records within 10 working days, subject to reasonable copying charges.

After investigation, the probable cause panel determines whether sufficient evidence exists to charge a licensee with a disciplinary violation.

Grounds for discipline include incompetence, negligence, fraud, unlicensed practice, violation of Board rules, and other specified professional misconduct.

Licensed practitioners must update required information in their Florida practitioner profile within 15 days after a change.

The Department may refer impaired licensees to the intervention program; participation may be confidential but does not erase the underlying violation.

Florida dentists must maintain professional liability insurance or another approved financial responsibility mechanism, generally $100,000 per claim and $300,000 aggregate.

Board rule requires Florida dentists to complete 30 hours of continuing education each biennium and dental hygienists to complete 24 hours each biennium.

Mandatory continuing education topics include specified hours for medical errors and HIV/AIDS, with additional required topics set by Board rule.

Board rule lists remediable tasks that dentists may delegate to dental hygienists and assistants and specifies the required level of supervision.

Supervision categories in Board rule distinguish general, indirect, and direct supervision and determine which delegated tasks may be performed under each.

Infection-control rules require standard precautions, hand hygiene, sterilization, and barrier techniques in dental practice.

A dentist must obtain a Board permit, meet training and equipment standards, and pass office inspection before administering conscious sedation or general anesthesia.

Board rules prohibit false, deceptive, or misleading dental advertising, including guarantees of results and unsubstantiated claims.

A dental laboratory may provide services only under a written work authorization from a dentist and must maintain records as Board rule requires.

Informed consent requires explaining the diagnosis, proposed treatment, material risks, alternatives, and likely consequences, and documenting the patient's consent.

The standard of care is the degree of care and skill a reasonably prudent dentist with similar training would use in the same circumstances.

A dentist must practice within the licensed scope and refer the patient when a condition exceeds the dentist's competence or available resources.

Ending the dentist-patient relationship without reasonable notice, opportunity to transfer care, or access to records may constitute patient abandonment.

Dentists must protect patient information and release records only with valid authorization or when required or permitted by law.

Florida prescribers generally must consult the prescription drug monitoring database before prescribing controlled substances, subject to statutory exceptions.

Dentists may not pay or receive compensation for patient referrals in ways that violate Florida fee-splitting and patient-brokering laws.

Practicing dentistry or dental hygiene while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or a medical condition affecting competence is a disciplinary violation.