Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 3, March 22, 2024
A. Every licensed dentist or dental hygienist
and every registered technician shall keep the Board informed of their current
mailing address.
B. The Board will
notify any dentist, dental hygienist or technician of the expiration of his/her
license or certificate.
C. Any
person whose license or certificate has expired and who wishes to have the same
reinstated must notify the Board of this in writing. Such notification must set
forth the reasons for seeking to have the same reinstated and the reasons why
the same has expired. Thereafter the Board may require a reexamination of the
person whose license or certificate has expired or may require the person to
appear before the Board and explain why the license or certificate has
expired.
D. In Section
40-15-170
of the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, there is a requirement that
affects your license: "The license of a dentist or dental hygienist who does
not either reside or practice in South Carolina for a period of six successive
years shall be deemed inactive. Provided, that the time spent in active service
by any person in the armed forces or public health service of the United States
or with the Veterans' Administration shall not be construed as absence from or
failure to practice in the State. Relicensing after an absence of over six
years can be made at the discretion of the Board upon proof of high
professional fitness and moral character."
E. Relicensing can be made at the discretion
of the Board upon proof of high professional fitness and moral
character.
F. Each licensed
dentist, licensed dental hygienist and registered dental technician shall
complete as a requirement for relicensure the following accredited continuing
education on a two-year continuous cycle basis. The licensee/registrant shall
certify on the relicensure/registration form that he/she has taken and can
verify the required number of hours specified below. Verification shall be in
the form of a record of courses taken, continuing hours earned, the date,
sponsor and subject matter of the courses. This material shall be maintained
for a period of three years from the date of verification to the Board upon
licensure/reregistration and, upon request of the State Board or its
representative, the licensee/registrant shall provide documentation in the form
of certificates or attendance or letters from course sponsors as proof of
attendance.
(1) All dentists shall complete a
minimum of fourteen (14) continuing education hours per year or twenty-eight
(28) continuing education hours over two (2) years; dental hygienists shall
complete a minimum of seven (7) continuing education hours per year or fourteen
(14) over two (2) years; dental technicians shall complete a minimum of four
(4) continuing education hours per year or eight (8) continuing education hours
over two (2) years, in order to be eligible for relicensure or reregistration.
Upon licensure by examination of this State, dentists, dental hygienists and
dental technicians shall be exempt from continuing education requirements for
the first relicensure period. Fifty percent (50%) of the required continuing
education hours must be obtained via live, in-person attendance. Interactive
webinars are considered live or in-person continuing education hours. The
remaining fifty percent (50%) of the required continuing education hours can be
earned via online computer seminars.
(a) All
licensed dentists and dental hygienists must have at least two (2) hours of
their required continuing education be dedicated to sterilization and infection
control.
(b) It is the
responsibility of all dentists to ensure that their auxiliary staff who may be
exposed to blood and other body fluids require and provide two (2) hours
biennially of continuing education on sterilization and infection control and
maintain records of such training.
(2) The continuing education hours must be
courses related to the procedures approved for each licensee/registrant such as
(a) medical and scientific
subjects;
(b) clinical and
technical subjects;
(c) risk
management and infection control;
(d) dental radiology;
(e) CPR, diet and nutrition.
(3) All dentists and dental
hygienists must have completed an approved CPR course within two (2) years of
licensure or renewal. Thereafter, all dentists and dental hygienists must be
recertified in CPR once every two (2) years. Yearly recertification is not
required, but can be used as continuing education hours any time.
(4) Programs that meet the general
requirement of Section 2 may be developed and/or endorsed by organizations and
agencies such as:
(a) the American Dental
Association, Academy of General Dentistry, American Dental Hygienists'
Association, American Dental Assistants' Association, National Association of
Dental Laboratories, or their local societies and associations;
(b) national, state, local, district dental
specialty organizations recognized by the American Dental
Association;
(c) dental colleges or
schools accredited by the American Dental Association;
(d) other organizations, schools, and
agencies approved by the State Board of Dentistry.
(5) Each dentist, dental hygienist and dental
technician licensed/registered by the Board who is not exempt from this
regulation, at the time of filing his application for renewal of his
license/registration, shall certify on the reregistration form that he/she has
taken and can verify the required number of hours. A record of the courses
taken, continuing education hours earned, date, sponsor, and subject matter
shall be retained for a minimum of three (3) years from the date of attendance.
Upon request, the applicant shall provide documentation in the form of
certificates of attendance or letters from course sponsors, to the Board as
proof of attendance.
(6) Failure to
comply with this mandatory continuing education requirement may result in
disciplinary action by the Board against the applicant.
(7) In individual cases involving
extraordinary hardship or extenuating circumstances, disability or illness, all
or any part of the requirements may be waived, modified or extended by the
Board. Any applicant shall be eligible for waiver or extension who, upon
written application to the Board and for good cause shown, demonstrates that
they are unable to participate in a sufficient number of regular continuing
educational programs for licensure/registration.
(8) The Board shall have the authority to
decide if a course meets its accreditation criterion, if a question
arises.
