§ 61-5B-4 — Board or dental hygienists committee; additional powers

and duties as related to the Impaired Dentists and Dental Hygienists Act. A. If the board or dental hygienists committee has reasonable cause to believe that a person licensed to practice dentistry or dental hygiene is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety to patients because of a condition described in the Impaired Dentists and Dental Hygienists Act, the board shall cause an examination of such licensee to be made and shall, following the examination, take appropriate action within the provisions of the Impaired Dentists and Dental Hygienists Act. B. Examination of a licensee pursuant to an order of the board shall be conducted by an examining committee designated by the board. Each examining committee shall be composed of two duly licensed dentists or two duly licensed dental hygienists if the licensee is a dental hygienist and two duly licensed physicians, one of whom shall be a psychiatrist who is knowledgeable and experienced in the field of chemical dependency if a question of mental illness or dependency is involved. Whenever possible, examining committee members shall be selected for their knowledge or experience in the areas of alcoholism, chemical dependency, mental health and geriatrics and may be rehabilitated impaired dentists, dental hygienists or physicians. In designating the members of such examining committee, the board may consider nominations from the New Mexico dental association for the dentist member, the New Mexico dental hygienists' association for dental hygiene members thereof and nomination from the New Mexico medical society for the physician members thereof. No current members of the board, dental hygienists committee or New Mexico board of medical examiners [New Mexico medical board] shall be designated as a member of an examining committee.

Legislative History

Laws 1994, ch. 55, § 33.