Codes and Regulations
Regulations as law
The Board's rules in Title 30 of the Mississippi Administrative Code fill in the Dental Practice Act. They set application forms, fee schedules, supervision definitions, CE categories, recordkeeping, infection control, and disciplinary procedure. A rule adopted under statutory authority has the force of law; violating a rule can be a separate ground for discipline even when the statute is silent.
How to read the hierarchy
- Statute: creates the Board, defines practice, sets maximum penalties.
- Rule: implements the statute and supplies operational detail.
- Policy or guidance: explains process but does not override either.
- Incorporation by reference: when a rule adopts CDC guidance or a course standard, the adopted text becomes enforceable as part of the rule.
Worked example
A hygienist completes a CPR course that is not accepted by the Board and renews without a valid card. The statute says licenses renew biennially; the rule specifies accepted CPR. The renewal may be denied or disciplined because the rule supplies the operative requirement. The reasoning is that the statute does not list every proof of competency; it delegates that detail to the Board.
Traps
- Reading only the statute and missing a rule that changes the practical requirement.
- Assuming a Board guidance document has the same force as a rule.
- Forgetting that federal law such as HIPAA and OSHA can apply alongside Board rules.
- Ignoring amendments that took effect before the renewal period.