LD 1639
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Page 1 of 2 An Act to Improve the Licensing and Regulation of Denturists LD 1639 Title Page
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LR 2028
Item 1

 
§1078.__Denturist Subcommittee

 
The Denturist Subcommittee, as established in Title 5, section
12004-A, subsection 10-A, referred to in this section as the
"subcommittee," is established as an independent subcommittee of
the board.

 
1.__Membership.__The subcommittee consists of 2 denturists and
one member of the public appointed by the Governor for 5-year
terms.

 
2.__Eligibility.__A person is not eligible for appointment to
the subcommittee who has been convicted of a violation of the
provisions of this chapter or any other prior dental practice
laws, or who has been convicted of a crime punishable by more
than one year's imprisonment.__A person is not eligible for
appointment to the subcommittee who has served 10 years or more
on a dental examining board in this State.__Appointment of
members must comply with section 60.__The Governor may remove a
member of the subcommittee on proven charges of inefficiency,
incompetence, immorality or unprofessional conduct.

 
3.__Compensation.__The members of the subcommittee are
entitled to compensation according to the provisions of Title 5,
chapter 379.__Expenses of the members must be certified by the
secretary of the board.

 
4.__Duties.__The subcommittee shall:

 
A.__Adopt rules pertaining to denturists not contrary to law
and subject to legislative review.__Rules adopted pursuant
to this paragraph are routine technical rules as defined in
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A;

 
B.__Investigate complaints and discipline denturist
licensees;

 
C.__Prepare and give examinations for the purpose of
licensing and authorize regional or national examinations
for the purpose of licensing;

 
D.__Submit a yearly budget, ensuring that operations of the
subcommittee are supported entirely by denturist licensing
fees;

 
E.__Approve educational curriculums for the purpose of
licensing and continuing education; and

 
F.__Hold at least one annual meeting, and special meetings
as necessary, at a time and place to be fixed by the
subcommittee.

 
Sec. 5. 32 MRSA §1081, sub-§2, ¶¶E and G, as amended by PL 1993, c. 600,
Pt. A, §63, are further amended to read:

 
E. The filling of prescriptions of a licensed dentist or
denturist by any person, association, corporation or other
entity for the construction, reproduction or repair of
prosthetic dentures, bridges, plates or appliances to be
used or worn as substitutes for natural teeth, provided that
this person, association, corporation or other entity does
not solicit nor advertise, directly or indirectly, by mail,
card, newspaper, pamphlet, radio or otherwise, to the
general public to construct, reproduce or repair prosthetic
dentures, bridges, plates or other appliances to be used or
worn as substitutes for natural teeth; and

 
G. The taking of impressions by dental hygienists or dental
assistants for study purposes only.; and

 
Sec. 6. 32 MRSA §1081, sub-§2, ¶H is enacted to read:

 
H.__The practice of denturism.

 
Sec. 7. 32 MRSA §1081, sub-§3, ¶¶A and C, as amended by PL 1993, c. 600,
Pt. A, §63, are further amended to read:

 
A. Employs dentists or dental hygienists, denturists or
other dental auxiliaries in the operation of a dental
office;

 
C. Retains the ownership or control of dental equipment or
material or a dental office and makes the same available in
any manner for the use by dentists or dental hygienists or
other agents, except that nothing in this subsection applies
to bona fide sales of dental equipment or material secured
by a chattel mortgage or retain title agreement. A person
licensed to practice dentistry may not enter into
arrangements with a person who is not licensed to practice
dentistry.

 
Sec. 8. 32 MRSA §1090, as amended by PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §72,
is further amended to read:

 
§1090. Prescription required for dental laboratory

 
1. Prescription. A dentist or denturist who uses the
services of a person not licensed to practice dentistry or

 
denturism in this State to construct, alter, repair or duplicate
a denture, plate, partial plate, bridge, splint, orthodontic or
prosthetic appliance shall first furnish the unlicensed person
with a written prescription, which must contain:

 
A. The name and address of the unlicensed person;

 
B. The patient's name or number. In the event the number is
used, the name of the patient must be written upon the
duplicate copy of the prescription retained by the dentist;

 
C. The date on which it was written;

 
D. A prescription of the work to be done, with diagrams if
necessary;

 
E. A specification of the type and quality of materials to
be used; and

 
F. The signature of the dentist or denturist and the number
of the dentist's or denturist's state license.

 
The unlicensed person shall retain the original prescription and
the dentist or denturist shall retain for 2 years a duplicate
copy for inspection by the board or its agent. For purposes of
this subsection, "unlicensed person" includes all legal entities.

 
Sec. 9. 32 MRSA §1100-A, as amended by PL 1993, c. 600, Pt. A, §87,
is further amended to read:

 
§1100-A. Definition

 
Duties of dental auxiliaries other than dental hygienists and
denturists must be defined and governed by the rules of the Board
of Dental Examiners. Dental auxiliaries include, but are not
limited to, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental
laboratory technicians and denturists.

 
Sec. 10. 32 MRSA §1100-B, sub-§3, ¶¶A and B, as amended by PL 1993, c.
600, Pt. A, §88, are further amended to read:

 
A. The taking of denture impressions and bite registration
for the purpose of or with a view to the making, producing,
reproducing, construction, finishing, supplying, altering or
repairing of a complete upper or complete lower prosthetic
denture, or both, to be fitted to an edentulous arch or
arches;

 
B. The fitting of a complete upper or lower prosthetic denture,
or both, to an edentulous arch or arches, including

 
the making, producing, reproducing, constructing, finishing,
supplying, altering and repairing of dentures; and

 
Sec. 11. 32 MRSA §1100-B, sub-§4 is enacted to read:

 
4.__Subcommittee.__"Subcommittee" means the Denturist
Subcommittee.

 
Sec. 12. 32 MRSA §1100-C, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1995, c. 590, §5,
is further amended to read:

 
1. Rules required. The board subcommittee shall adopt rules
necessary to implement this subchapter. Rules adopted may
pertain, but are not limited to, continuing education, statement
of oral conditions and other record retention requirements,
prelicensure permits and the specification of other procedures
incidental to the practice of denturism. Rules adopted pursuant
to this subchapter are routine technical rules as defined in
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A.

 
Sec. 13. 32 MRSA §1100-C, sub-§6 is enacted to read:

 
6.__Oral health certificate not required.__The rules adopted
by the subcommittee may not require that a denturist hold an oral
health certificate from a dentist before treating a patient.

 
Sec. 14. 32 MRSA §1100-D, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1995, c. 590, §6,
is further amended to read:

 
1. Authority. The board subcommittee is authorized to prepare
and give examinations in the area of denturism for the purpose of
licensing denturists. All examinations prepared and given under
this subchapter may be prepared and given by the full board, by
an appointed subcommittee of the board or by an entity authorized
by the board subcommittee. The board may subcommittee shall also
recognize a nationally or regionally administered examination
given at least annually for applicants to practice denturism in
the State.

 
Sec. 15. 32 MRSA §1100-D, sub-§2-A, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 590,
§6, is repealed.

 
Sec. 16. 32 MRSA §1100-D, sub-§2-A, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 590,
§6, is amended to read:

 
B. A person is eligible to take the examination if that
person:

 
(1) Is a high school graduate or has obtained high
school equivalency; and

 
(2) Has a diploma from a board-approved denturism
postsecondary institution or has completed an
equivalent denturist educational program approved by
the board successfully completed a course certified by
the American Denturist Association, the Denturist
Association of Canada, or a successor organization of
either, or the subcommittee.

 
Sec. 17. 32 MRSA §1100-D, sub-§§3 and 4, as amended by PL 1995, c. 590,
§6, are further amended to read:

 
3. Application for examination; fee. An eligible person
desiring to take an examination in order to become licensed as a
denturist shall make a written application to the board
subcommittee to take the examination. This application must be
accompanied by an application fee, to be determined by the board
subcommittee, but not to exceed $100 and an examination fee to be
determined by the board subcommittee that may not exceed the
actual cost of the examination. The application fee includes the
fee for the initial license and is nonrefundable.

 
4. Additional examinations; fee. An applicant failing to
pass an examination is entitled to a reexamination upon payment
of the examination fee set by the board subcommittee. If an
applicant has failed 3 examinations, the board subcommittee may
require the applicant to complete additional educational
requirements prior to reexamination.

 
Sec. 18. 32 MRSA §1100-E, sub-§§2 to 4-A, as amended by PL 1995, c. 590,
§7, are further amended to read:

 
2. License issued. The Upon recommendation of the
subcommittee, the board shall issue a license for the practice in
this State to each person who has passed an examination under
section 1100-D. This license authorizes the licensee to practice
as a denturist in the State until the expiration date that
appears on the license.

 
3. Renewal; renewal fee. After a license has been issued
under subsection 2, and on or before January 1st of odd-numbered
years, a denturist must pay to the board subcommittee a license
renewal fee of not more than $100 to be determined by the board
subcommittee in order to renew the license and to continue to be
authorized to practice as a denturist in the State or 1/2 the
biennial licensure fee if application is made in an even-numbered
year.

 
After the requirements for a license renewal, including any
necessary continuing education, have been met, a renewal card of

 
the denturist's license must be issued, which the denturist shall
place beside or attach to the denturist's initial license.
Denturists who have not paid as provided by January 1st must be
reinstated upon payment of a fee, to be determined by the board
subcommittee, of not more than $50 if paid by February 1st. A
license to practice is automatically suspended on February 1st
and may be reinstated, if approved by the board, on payment of a
fee to be determined by the board of not more than $100
subcommittee.

 
4. Endorsement. The board, at its discretion, without
examination, may issue a license to an applicant to practice as a
denturist who furnishes proof satisfactory to the board that the
denturist has been licensed to practice and has actively
practiced for a period of 5 years in another state or Canadian
province after full compliance with the requirements of its
dental laws, if the licensure requirements are, in all
essentials, at least equivalent to those of this State. The board
may require letters of reference about the denturist. Applicants
for licensure by endorsement who meet the requirements of this
section must be interviewed in person by the board, or members of
the board, prior to being issued a license. Every license so
given must state upon its face that it was granted on the basis
of endorsement. The fee for the license may not exceed $100.

 
4-A. Duplicate license. A licensee must be issued a duplicate
license by the board for a fee of $15 to be paid to the
subcommittee upon attestation of loss of the original.

 
Sec. 19. 32 MRSA §1100-E, sub-§5, ¶B-1, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 590,
§7, is repealed.

 
Sec. 20. 32 MRSA §1100-E, sub-§6, as amended by PL 1995, c. 590, §7
and PL 1999, c. 547, Pt. B, §78 and affected by §80, is further
amended to read:

 
6. Mental or physical examination. For the purposes of this
subsection, by the application for and acceptance of the license,
a licensed denturist is deemed to have given consent to a mental
or physical examination when directed by the board subcommittee.
The board subcommittee may direct the examination whenever it
determines a denturist may be suffering from a mental illness
that may be interfering with the competent practice of denturism
or from the use of intoxicants or drugs to an extent that they
are preventing the denturist from practicing denturism
competently and with safety to the patients. A denturist
examined pursuant to an order of the board subcommittee does not
have the privilege to prevent the testimony of the examining
individual or to prevent the acceptance into evidence of the
report of an examining individual. Failure to comply with an

 
order of the board subcommittee to submit to a mental or physical
exam requires the District Court to immediately order the license
of the denturist suspended until the denturist submits to the
examination.

 
Sec. 21. 32 MRSA §1100-E-1, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 590, §8, is
amended to read:

 
§1100-E-1. Continuing education

 
As a condition of a license renewal, a denturist licensee
shall must submit evidence of successful completion of 20 hours
of continuing education consisting of board-approved courses
approved by the subcommittee completed within the 2 years
preceding the application for renewal. The board subcommittee
shall proportionally reduce the continuing education hours
required for denturists who have been licensed for less than a 2-
year period upon the date of renewal.

 
Sec. 22. 32 MRSA §1100-K, sub-§3 is enacted to read:

 
3.__Exception.__A denturist who is a licensed dental
radiographer may expose, develop and interpret X rays without
supervision of a dentist.

 
Sec. 23. Denturist Subcommittee; staggered terms. Notwithstanding the
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, section 1078, subsection 1, of
those initial appointments to the Denturist Subcommittee, one
denturist's term must be 5 years, one denturist's term must be 4
years and the public member's term must be 3 years.

 
Sec. 24. Retroactivity. That section of this Act that amends the
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, section 1071, first paragraph
applies retroactively to January 1, 2001.

 
Sec. 25. Transition. Rules in effect on the effective date of this
Act adopted by the Board of Dental Examiners to regulate the
practice of denturism remain in effect until amended, repealed or
replaced by the Denturist Subcommittee.

 
SUMMARY

 
This bill makes several changes relating to denturists and
dental practices. Specifically, the bill does the following:

 
1. It authorizes denturists to become shareholders in dental
practices;

 
2. It adds back the denturist member to the Board of Dental
Examiners;

 
3. It establishes the Denturist Subcommittee as an
independent subcommittee of the Board of Dental Examiners. The
subcommittee consists of 2 denturists and one public member
serving staggered 5-year terms. While licensing authority
remains with the board, the subcommittee is given jurisdiction
over examinations and approval of educational curriculums and
continuing education. Money received form license issuance and
renewal is paid to the subcommittee, which has the duty to ensure
that its operations are supported entirely by those fees;

 
4. It clarifies the definition of the "practice of
denturism";

 
5. It prohibits a mandatory oral health certification as a
precondition for a denturist to treat a patient, and clarifies
that the subcommittee, not the board, will adopt rules to
regulate the practice of denturism;

 
6. It clarifies that the a education requirement may be met
by successful completion of a course certified by the American
Denturist Association or the Denturist Association of Canada; and

 
7. It provides that denturist who is a licensed dental
radiographer may expose, develop and interpret X rays without
supervision of a dentist.


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