Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee
Title 0460 - Dentistry
Chapter 0460-01 - General Rules
Section 0460-01-.01 - DEFINITIONS

(1) Associated Structures - Any structures grouped by some common factor. Structures can be associated with the oral cavity and/or maxillofacial area by anatomic and/or functional factors (e.g., the oral cavity and maxillofacial area are associated with the major and minor muscles of mastication and all of their attachments; the oral cavity and maxillofacial area are associated with the oral pharynx, nasal pharynx and the airway including the trachea). All structures adjacent, attached, or contiguous with the oral cavity and/or maxillofacial area are associated structures (e.g., the oral cavity and maxillofacial area are associated with the head and neck, including the face and its components orbital, nasal, aural, etc.).

(2) Board - The Tennessee Board of Dentistry.

(3) Board Administrative Office - The office of the Director assigned to the Tennessee Board of Dentistry located at 665 Mainstream Drive, Nashville, TN 37243.

(4) Certified Dental Assistant - A designation for an individual who has obtained certification from the Dental Assisting National Board, and with such designation, the individual may apply for registration to practice as a registered dental assistant in this State. All certified dental assistants must be registered by the State, pursuant to Rule 0460-04-.02, before they are eligible to practice as registered dental assistants in this State.

(5) Continuing Education - Continuing education consists of dental educational activities designed to review existing concepts and techniques, to convey information beyond the basic dental education and to update knowledge on advances in scientific, clinical and non-clinical practice related subject matter, including evidence-based dentistry. The objective is to improve the knowledge, skills and ability of the individual to provide the highest quality of service to the public and the profession. All continuing dental education should strengthen the habits of critical inquiry and balanced judgment that denote the truly professional and scientific person and should make it possible for new knowledge to be incorporated into the practice of dentistry as it becomes available.

(6) Coronal Polishing - The polishing of the enamel and restorations on the clinical crown of human teeth by utilizing a combination of a polishing agent and a slow speed handpiece, a prophy angle, a rubber cup, or any home care cleaning device.

(7) Dental Anesthesiology - The specialty of dentistry and discipline of anesthesiology encompassing the art and science of managing pain, anxiety and overall patient health during dental, oral maxillofacial and adjunctive surgical or diagnostic procedures throughout the entire perioperative period. The specialty is dedicated to promoting patient safety as well as access to care for all dental patients, including the very young and patients with special health care needs.

(8) Dental Public Health - That specialty branch of dentistry which deals with the science and art of preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting dental health through organized community efforts. It is that form of dental practice which serves the community as a patient rather than the individual. It is concerned with the dental health education of the public, with applied dental research, and with the administration of group dental care programs as well as the prevention and control of dental diseases on a community basis.

(9) Division - The Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Health Related Boards, from which the Board receives administrative support.

(10) Endodontics - That specialty branch of dentistry which deals with the morphology, physiology and pathology of the human dental pulp and periradicular tissues. Its study and practice encompass the basic and clinical sciences including biology of the normal pulp, the etiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries of the pulp and associated periradicular conditions.

(11) Full-Time Employment - A minimum of one thousand and five hundred (1500) employed hours per year.

(12) Licensed Dental Hygienist - An auxiliary employee of a licensed dentist(s) who has been issued a license to engage in clinical procedures primarily concerned with the performance of preventive dental service which does not constitute the practice of dentistry and is performed in accordance with the statutes and rules of the Board, under the direct and/or general supervision and full responsibility of a licensed dentist, pursuant to T.C.A. §§ 63-5-108 and 63-5-115.

(13) Licensee - Any person who has been lawfully issued a license to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in Tennessee.

(14) Mobile Dental Clinic - Any self-contained clinic or unit which may be moved, towed, transported or utilized on a permanent or temporary basis to an out-of-office location in which dentistry is practiced. The out-of-office location may include, but is not limited to, schools, nursing homes, or other institutions.

(15) Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology - That specialty of dentistry and discipline of radiology concerned with the production and interpretation of images and data produced by all modalities of radiant energy that are used for the diagnosis and management of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region.

(16) Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - That specialty branch of dentistry which includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery includes the treatment of the oral cavity and maxillofacial area or adjacent or associated structures and their impact on the human body that includes the performance of the following areas of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, as described in the most recent version of the Parameters and Pathways: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons:

(17) Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology - Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology is the specialty of dentistry and discipline of pathology that deals with the nature, identification, and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. It is a science that investigates the causes, processes, and effects of these diseases. The practice of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology includes research and diagnosis of diseases using clinical, radiographic, microscopic, biochemical, or other examinations. Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology deals with the nature of the diseases affecting the oral cavity and maxillofacial area or adjacent or associated structures, through study of its causes, its processes and its effects, together with the associated alternations of oral structure and function. The practice of oral and maxillofacial pathology shall include development and application of this knowledge through the use of clinical, microscopic, radiographic, biochemical or other such laboratory examinations or procedures as may be required to establish a diagnosis and/or gain other information necessary to maintain the health of the patient, or to correct the result of structural or functional changes produced by alternations from the normal.

(18) Oral Medicine - Oral Medicine is the specialty of dentistry responsible for the oral health care of medically complex patients and for the diagnosis and management of medically related diseases, disorders and conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region.

(19) Orofacial Pain - Orofacial Pain is the specialty of dentistry that encompasses the diagnosis, management and treatment of pain disorders of the jaw, mouth, face, head and neck. The specialty of Orofacial Pain is dedicated to the evidenced-based understanding of the underlying pathophysiology, etiology, prevention, and treatment of these disorders and improving access to interdisciplinary patient care.

(20) Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics - That specialty branch of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance, and correction of the growing, or mature dentofacial structures, including those conditions that require movement of teeth or correction of malrelationships and malformations of their related structures and the adjustment of relationships between and among teeth and facial bones by the application of forces and/or the stimulation and redirection of functional forces within the craniofacial complex. Major responsibilities of orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic practice include the diagnosis, prevention, interception and treatment of all forms of malocclusions of the teeth and associated alterations in their surrounding structures; the design, application, and control of functional and corrective appliances, and the guidance of the dentitions and its supporting structures to attain and maintain optimal occlusal relations in physiologic and esthetic harmony among facial and cranial structures.

(21) Pediatric Dentistry (Pedodontics) - That specialty branch of dentistry associated with the practice and teaching of comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care of children from birth through adolescence. It shall be construed to include care for special patients beyond the age of adolescence who demonstrate mental, physical and/or emotional problems.

(22) Periodontics - That specialty branch of dentistry which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disease of the supporting and surrounding tissue of the teeth. The maintenance of the health of these structures and tissues, achieved through periodontal treatment procedures, is also considered to be a responsibility of a periodontist.

(23) Practical Dental Assistant - An auxiliary employee of a licensed dentist(s) who performs supportive chairside procedures under the direct supervision and full responsibility of that licensed dentist or who is a dental assistant student in an educational institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, as defined by Rule 0460-04-.01.

(24) Prosthetic Function - Dental procedure involving any inlay, crown, bridge, partial denture, or complete denture that restores or replaces loss of tooth structure, teeth, or oral tissues.

(25) Prosthodontics - That specialty branch of dentistry pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes. The following constitute branches of Prosthodontics:

(26) Registered Dental Assistant - An auxiliary employee of a licensed dentist(s) who has been issued a registration to practice intraoral dental assisting procedures in accordance with the statutes and rules of the Board, and is eligible to seek certification and training in advanced dental assisting areas, and who practices under the direct supervision and full responsibility of a licensed dentist.

(27) Registrant - Any person who has been lawfully issued a registration from the Board to practice as dental assistants.

(28) Restorative Function - Dental procedure involving the repairing, restoring, or reforming of the shape, form, and function of part or all of a tooth.

(29) Sealant Application - The application of an organic polymer to the enamel surfaces of teeth.

(30) S.R.T.A. - The Southern Regional Testing Agency or its successor organization.

(31) Specialist - A licensee who has satisfactorily completed the requirements as set forth in the Dental Practice Act and these rules to practice one of the specialties recognized by the Board.