ME Dental Juris cheat sheet

The Maine Board of Dental Practice regulates dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants under 32 M.R.S. chapter 143; the Board adopts rules in 02-313 C.M.R.

Licensure categories include dentist, dental hygienist, and dental assistant; expanded function dental assistant (EFDA) and dental therapist are separate authorization levels with distinct rules.

The Board may deny, suspend, revoke, or place conditions on a license for unprofessional conduct, incompetence, or violation of the Act or Board rules.

Mandatory reporting: licensees must report to the Board known violations of the Act by another licensee, subject to the statutory exceptions for privileged communications.

Continuing education and license renewal cycles, late fees, and reinstatement procedures are set by Board rule, not by statute alone; the Act supplies the authority and the rules supply the numbers.

Practice without a current license or outside the scope of the license held is grounds for discipline and, separately, may be prosecuted as a civil violation.

A licensee must notify the Board of a change of name or address within the time stated in Board rule; failure to receive renewal notices does not excuse late renewal.

Board rule governs recordkeeping, infection control, and advertising; violations are independent grounds for discipline even absent patient harm.

Dentist applicants must pass a Board-approved clinical examination (or accepted regional/ADEX-type examination) plus the NBDE or INBDE, and satisfy jurisprudence and background-check requirements.

Dental hygienist applicants must graduate from an accredited hygiene program and pass a Board-approved clinical and written examination; local anesthesia and nitrous oxide require additional authorization.

Dental assistant registration requires graduation from an accredited program or equivalent training/experience as defined by Board rule; EFDAs must complete an approved expanded-function course and hold current CPR.

Renewal is biennial on the schedule set by the Board; a lapsed license may not be practiced on, and reinstatement after lapse may require late fees, CE, or reexamination.

Continuing education must be Board-approved and documented; licensees must retain certificates for the period stated in rule and produce them on audit.

Inactive or retired status, if available, restricts practice until the licensee returns to active status and satisfies any CE or fee requirements.

Temporary or limited licenses (e.g., for students, faculty, or out-of-state practitioners) carry defined expiration dates and supervision conditions and cannot be treated as full licensure.

License verification is public through the Board; employers and patients may rely on the Board's online verification rather than a paper certificate.

Dentists hold the broadest scope and are responsible for diagnosis, treatment planning, and prescribing; delegation does not transfer that responsibility.

Dental hygienists may perform prophylaxis, scaling, root planing, sealants, and fluoride within their scope; local anesthesia and nitrous oxide require specific additional certification.

Dental assistants may perform reversible intraoral tasks delegated by a dentist, such as suctioning, retraction, and selected expanded functions only if EFDA-authorized.

Supervision levels: direct supervision means the dentist is physically present; indirect means the dentist has authorized the procedure and is available; general means the dentist has authorized the service and reviews the patient record.

The level of supervision required is determined by the procedure and the delegate's credential; a dentist may not delegate a task to a person not authorized to perform it.

Final impressions for fixed prosthetics, definitive occlusal adjustment, and surgical procedures are generally nondelegable to assistants; check Board rule for the current list of delegable expanded functions.

Prescribing authority, including controlled substances, rests with the dentist; hygienists and assistants may not prescribe.

A dentist is responsible for ensuring that any delegated procedure is within the delegate's training, that records document who performed it, and that supervision requirements were met.