State Board of Dentistry
UPDATE
The Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry (SBOD) is a
separate and distinct entity within the Department of
State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs
(BPOA), authorized by the state legislature to regulate
the dental community. It is comprised of eight dentists,
a hygienist, an expanded function dental assistant, a
representative each from the Attorney General’s Office
and Department of Health, two public members and
the BPOA Commissioner.
SBOD duties and functions
n Licenses dentists and hygienists.
n Certifies expanded function dental assistants.
n Issues permits to allow dentists and hygienists
to administer various levels of anesthesia.
n Investigates complaints made against licensees
or certificate holders.
n Suspends and revokes licenses and certificates when
disciplinary action occurs.
n Levies fines and penalties on licensees when
disciplinary action occurs.
n Supervises dentists, hygienists and EFDAs to
insure compliance with licensure and certification
requirements.
n Develops standard of professional conduct,
including continuing education requirements.
n Promulgates regulations and policy statements
to govern the dental profession.
In 2019, the SBOD plans to discuss the following
regulatory and policy statement proposals and
will make decisions on whether or not to move them
through the regulatory process:
n
n
n
n
Application of teeth whitening products.
Administration of botox.
Requirements for volunteer licenses.
Requirements for mobile dental vans.
What else is on the near horizon?
Offices within the Governor’s Administration are
reviewing other draft regulatory proposals. Once
published as proposed rulemaking in the Pennsylvania
Bulletin, PDA and other stakeholders will have the
chance to provide feedback and offer amendments.
The House and Senate Licensure Committees and the
Independent Regulatory Review Commission will also
review these regulations and offer feedback to the SBOD.
It may take two years or more for these regulations to
take effect.
Child abuse (draft regulations reflect recent
amendments to the Child Protective Services Act).
n General revisions (include AED requirement for all
dental offices, requirement for EFDAs to pass
a clinical exam).
n Expanding public health dental hygiene practitioners
(PHDHPs) practice site locations.
n
PDA is your advocate on State Board of Dentistry issues.
Staff and volunteer members attend every meeting,
track emerging trends and issues, and review and
respond to all regulatory proposals.
Would you like to attend a SBOD meeting and see
what it’s all about? Contact the government relations
staff at (800) 223-0016, or [email protected], for
more information.
2019 State Board of
Dentistry Meeting Dates
J A N UA RY 18
M A R C H 15
M AY 17
J U LY 19
S E P T E M B E R 13
N O V E M B E R 15
20
NOV E M B E R/DE CE M BER 2018 | P EN N S YLVA N IA D EN TA L J O UR NAL