Current through Rules and Regulations filed through March 20, 2024
(1)
Dentists licensed to practice in the state of Georgia shall maintain and
furnish to the Board, upon request, official documentation of having completed
a minimum of forty (40) hours of continuing education during each biennium.
Official documentation shall be defined as documentation from an approved
provider that verifies a licensee's attendance at a particular continuing
education course. Official documentation of course attendance must be
maintained by a dentist for at least three (3) years following the end of the
biennium during which the course was taken.
(a) Compliance with all continuing education
requirements is a condition for license renewal. Failure to complete all hours
of mandatory continuing education shall serve as grounds to deny the renewal of
a license and may also result in disciplinary action being taken against a
licensee.
(b) Upon its own motion,
the Board may at any time randomly select a percentage of actively licenses
dentists for the purpose of auditing their compliance with the continuing
education requirements of the Board. Those licensees selected for an audit
shall submit official documentation of their compliance within thirty (30) days
of receipt of the audit letter. Failure to respond to an audit request in a
timely manner shall be grounds for disciplinary action against a
licensee.
(c) The continuing
education requirements shall not apply to dentists whose licenses are on
inactive status.
(d) The continuing
education requirements shall apply within the first biennium that a dentist is
licensed in Georgia. However, in order to meet the continuing education
requirements during the first biennium, a newly licensed dentist may submit as
their continuing education hours proof of dental coursework taken within the
previous two (2) years of the date of the renewal application from a university
or other institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of
the American Dental Association, or its successor agency. Following the first
biennium that a dentist is licensed in Georgia such licensees shall comply with
the continuing education requirements set forth in Rule 150-3-.09(2) and
(3).
(e) The continuing education
requirements for dentists holding volunteer licenses may be satisfied by
compliance with this rule, or they may alternatively be satisfied by compliance
with Rule
150-3-.10.
(2) Coursework, including home study courses,
sponsored or approved by the following recognized organizations will be
accepted:
(a) American Dental
Association/American Dental Hygienists association, and their affiliate
associations and societies;
(b)
Academy of General Dentistry;
(c)
National Dental Association and its affiliate societies;
(d) Colleges, and universities and
institutions with programs in dentistry and dental hygiene that are accredited
by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association
when the professional continuing education course is held under the auspices of
the school of dentistry or school of dental hygiene;
(e) CPR courses offered in-person by the
American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the American Safety and
Health Institute, the National Safety Council, EMS Safety Services, or other
such agencies approved by the Board.
(f) National and State Associations and/or
societies of all specialties in dentistry recognized under Georgia
law;
(g) Veterans Administration
Dental Department;
(h) Armed Forces
Dental Department;
(i) Georgia
Department of Public Health;
(j)
American Medical Association, the National Medical Association and its
affiliate associations and societies;
(k) Hospitals accredited by the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO).
(3) Course content:
(a) All courses must reflect the professional
needs of the dentist in providing quality dental health care to the
public;
(b) At least thirty (30)
hours of the minimum requirement shall be clinical courses in the actual
delivery of dental services to the patient or to the community;
(c) Four (4) credit hours for successful
completion of the in-person CPR course required by Georgia law may be used to
satisfy continuing education requirements per renewal period. This requirement
may be satisfied by successful completion of an in-person Basic Life Support
(BLS) or Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) course;
(d) Effective on and after January 1, 2024,
two (2) hours of the minimum requirement shall include education and training
regarding infection control in the practice of dentistry, which shall include
education and training regarding dental unit water lines;
(e) One (1) hour of the minimum requirement
shall include the impact of opioid abuse, proper prescription writing, and/or
the use of opioids in dental practice;
(f) Effective on and after January 1, 2022,
one (1) hour of the minimum requirement shall include legal ethics and
professionalism in the practice of dentistry, which shall include, but not be
limited to, education and training regarding professional boundaries;
unprofessional conduct relating to the commission of acts of sexual intimacy,
abuse, misconduct, or exploitation with regard to the practice of dentistry;
legislative updates and changes to the laws relating to the practice of
dentistry and rules, policies, and advisory opinions and rulings issued by the
Board; professional conduct and ethics; proper billing practices; professional
liability; and risk management.
(g)
Up to fifteen (15) hours of continuing education per year may be obtained by
assisting the Board with administering the clinical licensing examination.
These hours shall be approved by the Continuing Education Committee of the
Georgia Board of Dentistry and need not be sponsored by any agency listed in
150-3-.09(2);
(h) Eight (8) hours
per biennium may be obtained by assisting the board with investigations of
licensees. This may include consultant review on behalf of the Georgia Board of
Dentistry and peer reviews completed by committees of the Georgia Dental
Association but shall be limited to two (2) hours for each case reviewed. These
hours shall be approved by the Continuing Education Committee of the Georgia
Board of Dentistry and need not be sponsored by any agency listed in
150-3-.09(2);
(i) Up to ten (10)
hours of continuing education per year may be obtained by teaching clinical
dentistry or dental hygiene at any ADA-approved educational facility. These
hours shall be awarded in writing by the course director at the facility and
approved by the Continuing Education Committee of the Georgia Board of
Dentistry;
(j) Up to ten (10) hours
of continuing education per biennium may be obtained by providing,
uncompensated dental care at a charitable dental event as defined by O.C.G.A §
43-11-53;
(k) Up to twenty (20) hours of continuing
education per biennium may be obtained by members of the Georgia Board of
Dentistry for member service, where one continuing education hour is credited
for each five hours of Board service provided;
(l) Eight (8) hours per biennium may be
obtained by assisting the Board with conducting onsite sedation evaluations.
This shall be limited to a maximum of four (4) hours per evaluation. These
hours shall be approved by the Continuing Education Committee of the Georgia
Board of Dentistry and need not be sponsored by any agency listed in
150-3-.09(2).
(4)
Criteria for receiving credit for attending an approved continuing education
course:
(a) Credit hours are not retroactive
or cumulative. All credit hours must be received during the two (2) year period
to which they are applied;
(b) One
credit hour for each hour of course attendance will be allowed;
(c) Only twelve hours of credit will be
accepted per calendar day;
(d)
Effective January 1, 2008, at least twenty (20) of the required forty (40)
hours of credit must be acquired in person at an on-site course or seminar; you
are not allowed to acquire all CE hours through on-line courses, electronic
means, journal studies, etc.
(5) Criteria for receiving credit for
teaching an approved continuing education course:
(a) Credit hours for teaching an approved
course must be obtained and used during the biennium that the approved course
is taught;
(b) A dentist who
teaches an approved continuing education course is eligible to receive two (2)
credit hours for each hour of course work that he or she presents at a
particular course. Credit will be given for teaching a particular course on one
occasion. A maximum of ten (10) credit hours per biennium may be obtained by a
dentist by whom an approved continuing education course is taught;
(c) Only continuing education courses
sponsored by organizations designated in Rule 150-3-.09(2) will be considered
for credit pursuant to this subsection of the rule.
(d) In the event that an audit is conducted
of the continuing education hours of a dentist who has taught a course approved
by a recognized organization, the following information shall be required to
document the dentist's role in presenting a continuing education course:
(i) Documentation from an approved provider
verifying that the dentist presented an approved continuing education
course;
(ii) Documentation from an
approved provider reflecting the content of the course;
(iii) Documentation from an approved provider
specifying the list of materials used as a part of the course; and
(iv) Documentation from an approved provider
verifying the hours earned and the dates and times that the course in question
was given.
(e) In the
event that an approved continuing education course is taught by more than one
dentist, continuing education credit will be given for those portions of
coursework for which the dentist is directly involved and primarily responsible
for the preparation and presentation thereof. Continuing education credit will
not be available to a dentist whose participation in preparing and presenting
an approved course is not readily identifiable.
(6) Criteria for receiving credit for
providing uncompensated indigent dental care.
(a) Up to ten (10) hours of continuing
education per biennium may be obtained by providing, uncompensated dental care
at a charitable dental event as defined by O.C.G.A §
43-11-53.
(b) Dentists may receive one hour of
continuing education for every four hours of indigent dental care the dentist
provides, up to ten (10) hours. Such continuing education credits will be
applied toward the dentist's clinical courses.
(c) All credit hours must be received during
the two (2) year renewal period;
(d) All appropriate medical/dental records
must be kept;
(e) Dentists shall at
all times be required to meet the minimal standards of acceptable and
prevailing dental practice in Georgia;
(f) The Board shall have the right to request
the following:
1. Documentation from the
organization indicating that the dentist provided the dental
services;
2. Documentation from the
organization that it provided medical and/or dental services to the indigent
and/or those making up the underserved populations;
3. Notarized verifications from the
organization documenting the dentist's agreement not to receive compensation
for the services provided;
4.
Documentation from the organization detailing the actual number of hours spent
providing said services; and
5.
Documentation from the dentist and/or organization verifying the services
provided.
(7)
Effective January 1, 2012, dentists may receive continuing education credit for
dental coursework taken during a residency program from a university or other
institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the
American Dental Association. Such coursework must have been taken during the
current license renewal period.
(1) Submission
of a copy of the certificate of completion of program showing dates of
completion is sufficient proof of coursework.
(2) One (1) credit hour equals one (1)
continuing education credit.
O.C.G.A. §§
43-11-7,
43-11-40,
43-11-46,
43-11-46.1.