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What a Florida dental license covers

Florida law says who may practice dentistry, what counts as dentistry, and what a dentist has to display and hand to patients. The rules sit in Chapter 466 of the Florida Statutes. Here is what the statute says, in short.

Education, not a dental practice. Florida Smile Works does not examine, diagnose, or treat.

What the law counts as dentistry

Section 466.003 defines "dentistry" as "the healing art which is concerned with the examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, and care of conditions within the human oral cavity and its adjacent tissues and structures." The definition also covers "the performance or attempted performance of any dental operation, or oral or oral-maxillofacial surgery and any procedures adjunct thereto."

The same section lists specific acts. Among them:

The section also defines a "dentist" as "a person licensed to practice dentistry pursuant to this chapter," and it names the Board of Dentistry and the Department of Health as the "Board" and the "Department." Read the full list at Florida Statutes section 466.003.

How a person gets licensed

Section 466.011 says "The board shall certify for licensure by the department any applicant who satisfies the requirements of s. 466.006, s. 466.0067, or s. 466.007." The exam and application details are in those sections. Read section 466.011.

Practicing without a license

Under section 466.026, practicing dentistry or dental hygiene "unless the person has an appropriate, active license issued by the department pursuant to this chapter" is "a felony of the third degree." Read section 466.026.

Using the title

The same section covers titles. Using "the name or title 'dentist,' the letters 'D.D.S.' or 'D.M.D.'," or other words or letters that represent a person as able to diagnose, treat, prescribe, or operate for a condition of the teeth or jaws, "unless the person has an active dentist's license," is "a misdemeanor of the first degree."

License display

Section 466.016 says a practitioner "shall post and keep conspicuously displayed her or his license in the office wherein she or he practices, in plain sight of the practitioner's patients." It also says "Every dentist shall provide each of her or his patients with her or his name, contact telephone number, after-hours contact information for emergencies, and license information." Read section 466.016.

Checking a license

Checking a license is a separate step, and Choose a dentist walks through it and links to the state's public lookup.

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