§ 59-328.32 — Dentists - Grounds for penalties.

Oklahoma § 59-328.32

• Jurisdiction: Oklahoma
• Title 59: Professions And Occupations

Text

A. The following acts or occurrences by a dentist shall constitute grounds for which the penalties specified in Section 328.44a of this title may be imposed by order of the Board of Dentistry or be the basis for denying a new applicant any license or permit issued by the Board: 1. Pleading guilty or nolo contendere to, or being convicted of, a felony, a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, any crime in which an individual would be required to be a registered sex offender under state law, any violent crime, Medicaid fraud, insurance fraud, identity theft, embezzlement or a violation of federal or state controlled dangerous substances laws; 2. Presenting to the Board a false diploma, license, or certificate, or one obtained by fraud or illegal means, or providing other false information on an application or renewal; 3. Being, by reason of persistent inebriety or addiction to drugs, incompetent to continue the practice of dentistry or failing to notify the Board of a licensee, permit holder, or other health professional that is practicing while impaired or is in a state of physical or mental health that the licensee or permit holder suspects constitutes a threat to patient care within seventy-two (72) hours of witness or belief of such conditions; 4. Publishing a false, fraudulent, or misleading advertisement or statement; 5. Authorizing or aiding an unlicensed person to practice dentistry, to practice dental hygiene or to perform a function for which a permit from the Board is required; 6. Authorizing or aiding a dental hygienist to perform any procedure prohibited by the State Dental Act or the rules of the Board; 7. Authorizing or aiding a dental assistant to perform any procedure prohibited by the State Dental Act or the rules of the Board; 8. Failing to pay fees as required by the State Dental Act or the rules of the Board; 9. Failing to complete continuing education requirements; 10. Representing himself or herself to the public as a specialist in a dental specialty without holding a dental specialty license as listed in Section 328.22 of this title; 11. Practicing below the basic standard of care of a patient which an ordinary prudent dentist with similar training and experience within the local area would have provided including, but not limited to, failing to complete proper training and demonstrate proficiency for any procedure delegated to a dental hygienist or dental assistant; 12. Endangering the health of patients by reason of having a highly communicable disease and continuing to practice dentistry without taking appropriate safeguards; 13. Practicing dentistry in an unsafe or unsanitary manner or place including but not limited to repeated failures to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines; 14. Being shown to be mentally unsound; 15. Being shown to be grossly immoral and that such condition represents a threat to patient care or treatment; 16. Being incompetent to practice dentistry while delivering care to a patient; 17. Committing gross negligence in the practice of dentistry; 18. Committing repeated acts of negligence in the practice of dentistry; 19. Offering to effect or effecting a division of fees, or agreeing to split or divide a fee for dental services with any person, in exchange for the person bringing or referring a patient; 20. Being involuntarily committed to an institution for treatment for substance abuse, until recovery or remission; 21. Using or attempting to use the services of a dental laboratory or dental laboratory technician without issuing a laboratory prescription, except as provided in subsection C of Section 328.36 of this title; 22. Aiding, abetting, or encouraging a dental hygienist employed by the dentist to make use of an oral prophylaxis list, or the calling by telephone or by use of letters transmitted through the mail to solicit patronage from patients formerly served in the office of any dentist formerly employing such dental hygienist; 23. Having more than the equivalent of three full-time dental hygienists for each dentist actively practicing in the same dental office; 24. Allowing a person not holding a permit or license issued by the Board to assist in the treatment of a patient without having a license or permit issued by the Board; 25. Knowingly patronizing or using the services of a dental laboratory or dental laboratory technician who has not complied with the provisions of the State Dental Act and the rules of the Board; 26. Authorizing or aiding a dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental laboratory technician, or holder of a permit to operate a dental laboratory to violate any provision of the State Dental Act or the rules of the Board; 27. Willfully disclosing information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104-191; 28. Writing a false, unnecessary, or excessive prescription for any drug or narcotic which is a controlled dangerous substance under either federal or state law, or prescribing, dispensing or administering opioid drugs in excess of the maximum limits authorized in Section 2-309I of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes; 29. Prescribing or administering any drug or treatment without having established a valid dentist-patient relationship; 30. Using or administering nitrous oxide gas in a dental office in an inappropriate or unauthorized manner; 31. Engaging in nonconsensual physical contact with a patient which is sexual in nature, or engaging in a verbal communication which is intended to be sexually demeaning to a patient; 32. Practicing dentistry without displaying, at the dentist’s primary place of practice, the license issued to the dentist by the Board to practice dentistry and the current renewal certificate; 33. Being dishonest in a material way with a patient or during the practice of dentistry; 34. Failing to retain all patient records for at least seven (7) years from the date of the last treatment as provided by Section 328.31b of this title, except that the failure to retain records shall not be a violation of the State Dental Act if the dentist shows that the records were lost, destroyed, or removed by another, without the consent of the dentist; 35. Failing to retain the dentist’s copy of any laboratory prescription for at least seven (7) years, except that the failure to retain records shall not be a violation of the State Dental Act if the dentist shows that the records were lost, destroyed, or removed by another, without the consent of the dentist; 36. Allowing any corporation, organization, group, person, or other legal entity, except another dentist or a professional entity that is in compliance with the registration requirements of subsection B of Section 328.31 of this title, to direct, control, or interfere with the dentist’s clinical judgment. Clinical judgment shall include, but not be limited to, such matters as selection of a course of treatment, control of patient records, policies and decisions relating to pricing, credit, refunds, warranties and advertising, and decisions relating to office personnel and hours of practice. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to: a. limit a patient’s right of informed consent, or b. prohibit insurers, preferred provider organizations and managed care plans from operating pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Oklahoma Insurance Code and the Oklahoma Public Health Code; 37. Violating the state dental act of another state resulting in a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, conviction or suspension or revocation or other sanction by another state board, of the license of the dentist under the laws of that state; 38. Violating or attempting to violate the provisions of the State Dental Act or the rules of the Board, a state or federal statute or rule relating to scheduled drugs, fraud, a violent crime or any crime for which the penalty includes the requirement of registration as a sex offender in this state as a principal, accessory or accomplice; 39. Failing to comply with the terms and conditions of an order imposing suspension of a license or placement on probation issued pursuant to Section 328.44a of this title; 40. Failing to cooperate during an investigation or providing false information, verbally or in writing, to the Board, the Board’s investigator or an agent of the Board; 41. Having multiple administrative or civil actions reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank; 42. Failing to complete an approved two-hour course on opioid and scheduled drug prescribing within one (1) year of obtaining a license or a violation of a law related to controlled dangerous substances including prescribing laws pursuant to Section 2-309D of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes; 43. Falling below the basic standard of care of a licensed dentist or dentist practicing in his or her specialty, a dental hygienist, dental assistant, or other licensee or permit holder pursuant to the State Dental Act and Section 20.1 of Title 76 of the Oklahoma Statutes; or 44. Failing to provide patient records as provided by Sections 19 and 20 of Title 76 of the Oklahoma Statutes. B. Any person making a report in good faith to the Board or to a peer assistance group regarding a professional suspected of practicing dentistry while being impaired pursuant to paragraph 3 of subsection A of this section shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability arising from such reports. C. The provisions of the State Dental Act shall not be construed to prohibit any dentist from displaying or otherwise advertising that the dentist is also currently licensed, registered, certified or otherwise credentialed pursuant to the laws of this state or a nationally recognized credentialing board, if authorized by the laws of the state or credentialing board to display or otherwise advertise as a licensed, registered, certified, or credentialed dentist.

Legislative History

Added by Laws 1970, c. 173, § 32, eff. July 1, 1970. Amended by Laws 1996, c. 2, § 10, eff. Nov. 1, 1996; Laws 1998, c. 377, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 1998; Laws 2000, c. 283, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 2000; Laws 2011, c. 262, § 3, eff. July 1, 2011; Laws 2012, c. 270, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 2012; Laws 2013, c. 405, § 12, eff. July 1, 2013; Laws 2015, c. 229, § 20, eff. July 1, 2015; Laws 2016, c. 113, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 2016; Laws 2019, c. 397, § 7; Laws 2020, c. 161, § 34, emerg. eff. May 21, 2020; Laws 2021, c. 566, § 9, emerg. eff. May 28, 2021; Laws 2022, c. 158, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 2022; Laws 2023, c. 220, § 5, eff. July 1, 2023; Laws 2024, c. 46, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 2024; Laws 2025, c. 273, § 14, eff. Nov. 1, 2025. NOTE: Laws 2019, c. 428, § 3 repealed by Laws 2020, c. 161, § 35, emerg. eff. May 21, 2020.