The council consists of 9 members appointed by the commissioner. Members must be appointed for a term of 3 years, except that, of the members first appointed by the commissioner, 3 must be appointed for a term of 2 years and 3 must be appointed for a term of one year, as designated by the commissioner at the time of appointment, except that any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member’s predecessor was appointed may be appointed only for the remainder of that term. A vacancy in the council does not affect its powers, but must be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made. [RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. B, §117 (COR).]

Members shall be eligible for reappointment for not more than one full consecutive term and may serve after the expiration of their term until their successors have been appointed, qualified and taken office; except that members initially appointed for a one year term may be reappointed to one full 3-year term. [P&SL 1975, c. 90, §A, §1 (NEW).]

An official employee, consultant or any other individual employed, retained or otherwise compensated by or representative of the Executive Branch of Maine State Government may not be a member of the council; but shall assist the council if so requested. Membership must include 4 dental health personnel, including 2 staff employed at least 1/2 time by a public or private nonprofit dental clinic program, one of whom must be a registered dental hygienist and one of whom must be a dentist or other professional staff, and 2 dentists employed in private practice, one of whom must be appointed from a list of at least 3 names submitted by the Maine Dental Association and 5 interested citizens representing a balance of diverse socioeconomic groups and geographic locations, who may not be employed in the dental health or medical care professions, or members of the immediate family of any person employed as a dental health or other medical care professional. [PL 1991, c. 78 (AMD).]

The Board of Dental Practice shall serve as a Technical Advisory Committee to the council and the director on matters relating to dental care standards. [P&SL 1975, c. 90, §A, §1 (NEW); PL 2015, c. 429, §23 (REV).]

The director of the division or the director’s representative shall attend all meetings of the council. [PL 1991, c. 152, §6 (AMD).]

The council shall elect the chair and such other officers from its members as it considers appropriate. [RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. A, §57 (COR).]