Section 4715.09 | Unlicensed practice prohibited.
(A) No person shall practice dentistry without a current license from the state dental board. No person shall practice dentistry while the person's license is under suspension by the state dental board.
(B) No dentist shall use the services of any person not licensed to practice dentistry in this state, or the services of any partnership, corporation, or association, to construct, alter, repair, or duplicate any denture, plate, bridge, splint, or orthodontic or prosthetic appliance, without first furnishing the unlicensed person, partnership, corporation, or association with a written work authorization on forms prescribed by the state dental board.
The unlicensed person, partnership, corporation, or association shall retain the original work authorization, and the dentist shall retain a duplicate copy of the work authorization, for two years from its date. Work authorizations required by this section shall be open for inspection during the two-year period by the state dental board, its authorized agent, or the prosecuting attorney of a county or the director of law of a municipal corporation wherein the work authorizations are located.
(C) If the person, partnership, association, or corporation receiving a written authorization from a licensed dentist engages another person, firm, or corporation, referred to in this division as "subcontractor," to perform some of the services relative to the work authorization, the person shall furnish a written sub-work authorization with respect thereto on forms prescribed by the state dental board.
The subcontractor shall retain the sub-work authorization and the issuer thereof shall retain a duplicate copy, attached to the work authorization received from the licensed dentist, for inspection by the state dental board or its duly authorized agents, for a period of two years in both cases.
(D) No unlicensed person, partnership, association, or corporation shall perform any service described in division (B) of this section without a written work authorization from a licensed dentist. Provided, that if a written work authorization is demanded from a licensed dentist who fails or refuses to furnish it for any reason, the unlicensed person, partnership, association, or corporation shall not, in such event, be subject to the enforcement provisions of section 4715.05 or the penal provisions of section 4715.99 of the Revised Code.
(E) No dentist shall employ or use conscious sedation unless the dentist possesses a valid permit issued by the state dental board authorizing the dentist to do so.
(F) No dentist shall employ or use general anesthesia unless the dentist possesses a valid permit issued by the state dental board authorizing the dentist to do so.
(G) Division (A) of this section does not apply to a person who meets both of the following conditions:
(1) The person holds a license in good standing to practice dentistry issued by another state.
(2) The person is practicing as a volunteer without remuneration during a charitable event that lasts not more than seven days.
When a person meets the conditions of this division, the person shall be deemed to hold, for the course of the charitable event, a license to practice dentistry from the state dental board and shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter authorizing the board to take disciplinary action against a license holder. Not less than seven calendar days before the first day of the charitable event, the person or the event's organizer shall notify the board of the person's intent to engage in the practice of dentistry at the event. During the course of the charitable event, the person's scope of practice is limited to the procedures that a dentist licensed under this chapter is authorized to perform unless the person's scope of practice in the other state is more restrictive than in this state. If the latter is the case, the person's scope of practice is limited to the procedures that a dentist in the other state may perform.
The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.
Last updated March 6, 2023 at 3:21 PM
Available Versions of this Section
- April 11, 1990 – House Bill 208 - 118th General Assembly [ View April 11, 1990 Version ]
- March 22, 2019 – Amended by Senate Bill 259 (GA 132), House Bill 541 (GA 132) [ View March 22, 2019 Version ]
- December 29, 2023 – Amended by Senate Bill 131 - 134th General Assembly [ View December 29, 2023 Version ]