Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:788

  • Board: means the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:751
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Dental assistant: means a person who is employed by a licensed practicing dentist and performs the duties authorized by the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry only under his direct on-premises supervision, direction, and responsibility. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:751
  • Dentistry: means the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment, including nonsurgical, surgical, or related procedures, of diseases, disorders, or conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial areas or the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body provided by a dentist within the scope of his education, training, and experience, in accordance with the ethics of the profession and applicable law. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:751
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Expanded duty dental assistant: means a person who is employed by a licensed practicing dentist and has passed an expanded function for dental assistants course approved by the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry that shall not consist of less than thirty classroom hours, or who has graduated from a dental assisting program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association provided the program teaches functions as provided for in LAC 46:XXXIII. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:751
  • person: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Unlicensed person: means a person who is not licensed by the board who illegally practices dentistry or dental hygiene. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:751

            A. No person shall practice dentistry or dental hygiene or attempt or offer to practice within the state without first having been authorized and issued a license by the board; nor shall any person practice dentistry or dental hygiene or attempt or offer to practice within the state during any period of suspension of his license by the board or after revocation by the board of any license theretofore issued to the offending person.

            B.(1) The board may issue a subpoena to any person or persons who the board has probable cause to believe has engaged in the practice of dentistry or dental hygiene without a currently valid license or permit.

            (2) Subpoenas issued by the board shall comply with the notice requirements of La. Rev. Stat. 49:975 and La. Rev. Stat. 37:781. These subpoenas shall be served upon the unlicensed individual personally or by any type of mailing requiring a return receipt and shall include a statement of the manner in which the unlicensed person shall be required to respond to the board.

            (3) Whoever violates the provisions of this Section may also be prosecuted criminally by the district attorney and, if convicted, shall be imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than five years or fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both. Each unauthorized act shall constitute a separate offense.

            (4) The fact that any unlicensed person engages in or performs or offers to engage in or perform any of the practices, acts, or operations set forth in La. Rev. Stat. 37:751(A)(5) is prima facie evidence that such person is engaged in the illegal practice of dentistry or dental hygiene.

            (5) No person practicing dentistry or dental hygiene without a currently valid license or temporary permit shall have the right to receive any compensation for services so rendered. In addition to any other penalties imposed under La. Rev. Stat. 37:789, any person who practices dentistry or dental hygiene without a license shall return any fees collected for practicing dentistry or dental hygiene and shall be liable for any damages resulting from negligence.

            (6) All rights and privileges afforded by the Administrative Procedure Act are specifically reserved to any party aggrieved by any decision of the board.

            C. If the board has reasonable cause to believe that an expanded duty dental assistant has violated any of the provisions of this Chapter, the board may suspend, rescind, or revoke the confirmation of the certification of the expanded duty dental assistant after a hearing is conducted.

            D. Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 712, §2.

            Acts 1988, No. 795, §1; Acts 1995, No. 920, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1358, §1; Acts 2001, No. 712, §2; Acts 2003, No. 1182, §1; Acts 2005, No. 196, §1; Acts 2016, No. 369, §1.

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