FL Dental Laws & Rules flashcards
FL Dental Laws & Rules · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Board of Dentistry composition
- The Florida Board of Dentistry has 11 members appointed by the Governor: seven licensed dentists, two licensed dental hygienists, and two consumer members.
- Practice of dentistry definition
- Diagnosing and treating conditions of the teeth, jaws, oral cavity, and adjacent structures, including surgical, restorative, and prescribing services within Florida law.
- Dental hygiene scope
- Licensed dental hygienists provide preventive and therapeutic services such as prophylaxis, scaling, fluoride, sealants, and radiographs under the supervision levels authorized by Florida law.
- Dental laboratory registration
- A Florida dental laboratory must register with the Department of Health and may perform services only on written work authorization from a licensed dentist.
- Unlicensed practice prohibition
- A person may not practice dentistry or dental hygiene without an active Florida license; unlicensed practice is subject to cease-and-desist orders and penalties.
- Direct supervision meaning
- The dentist has examined the patient, authorized the procedure, and remains physically present in the office while the delegated service is performed.
- Delegation limits
- Dentists may delegate only remediable tasks allowed by Board rule; final diagnosis, treatment planning, and surgical procedures remain the dentist's responsibility.
- Dental hygiene licensure
- Applicants must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program, pass required examinations, and meet other Board requirements before receiving a Florida license.
- Biennial license renewal
- Florida dental and dental hygiene licenses are renewed every two years, and practicing after expiration without renewal constitutes unlicensed practice.
- Patient record copies
- Under Florida law, a health care practitioner must provide copies of patient records within 10 working days after a proper written request, subject to reasonable copying charges.
- Probable cause panel
- After an investigation, the probable cause panel decides whether there is enough evidence to charge a licensee with a disciplinary violation.
- Grounds for discipline
- Florida law authorizes discipline for incompetence, negligence, fraud, unlicensed practice, violation of Board rules, and other specified professional misconduct.
- Practitioner profile update
- Licensed health care practitioners must update required information in their Florida practitioner profile within 15 days after a change.
- Impaired practitioner program
- The Department may refer licensees with impairment to the intervention program; participation can be confidential but does not erase the underlying violation.
- Professional liability requirement
- Florida dentists must maintain professional liability insurance or another approved financial responsibility mechanism, generally $100,000 per claim and $300,000 aggregate.
- Unlicensed practice enforcement
- The Department may investigate unlicensed practice, issue cease-and-desist orders, and seek penalties; unlicensed practice is not shielded by another health license.
- Dentist CE hours
- Board rule requires Florida dentists to complete 30 hours of continuing education each biennium, including specified mandatory topics such as medical errors and HIV/AIDS.
- Hygienist CE hours
- Florida dental hygienists must complete 24 hours of continuing education each biennium, including mandatory topics required by Board rule.
- Remediable tasks rule
- Board rule lists tasks that dentists may delegate to hygienists and assistants and specifies whether general, indirect, or direct supervision is required.
- Infection control compliance
- Florida dentists and hygienists must follow Board infection-control rules, including standard precautions, hand hygiene, sterilization, and barrier techniques.
- Conscious sedation permit
- A dentist must obtain a Board permit, meet training and equipment standards, and pass office inspection before administering conscious sedation or general anesthesia.
- Misleading advertising
- Board rules prohibit false, deceptive, or misleading dental advertising, including guarantees of results and claims that cannot be substantiated.
- Dental work authorization
- A dental laboratory may provide services only under a written work authorization from a dentist, and the laboratory must maintain records as Board rule requires.
- Patient records rule
- Board rules require dentists to keep legible records of examination, diagnosis, treatment, and informed consent, and to protect their confidentiality.
- Informed consent
- Before treatment, the dentist should explain the diagnosis, proposed treatment, material risks, alternatives, and likely consequences, and document the patient's consent.
- Standard of care
- The degree of care and skill that a reasonably prudent dentist with similar training would use in the same circumstances.
- Patient abandonment
- Ending a dentist-patient relationship without reasonable notice, opportunity to transfer care, or access to records may constitute abandonment.
- Confidentiality obligation
- Dentists must protect patient information and release records only with valid authorization or when required or permitted by law.
- Emergency dental care
- A dentist should respond to urgent dental needs and may not refuse care solely on discriminatory grounds when emergency treatment is required.
- Controlled substance PDMP check
- Florida prescribers generally must consult the prescription drug monitoring database before prescribing controlled substances, with exceptions defined by law.
- Fee splitting prohibition
- Dentists may not pay or receive compensation for patient referrals in ways that violate Florida fee-splitting and patient-brokering laws.
- Impaired practice
- Practicing dentistry or dental hygiene while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or a medical condition that affects competence is a disciplinary violation.