The Florida Senate

466.006  Examination of dentists.--

(1)  Any person desiring to be licensed as a dentist shall apply to the department to take the licensure examinations and shall verify the information required on the application by oath. The application shall include two recent photographs. There shall be an application fee set by the board not to exceed $100 which shall be nonrefundable. There shall also be an examination fee set by the board, which shall not exceed $425 plus the actual per applicant cost to the department for purchase of portions of the examination from the Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners or a similar national organization, which may be refundable if the applicant is found ineligible to take the examinations.

(2)  An applicant shall be entitled to take the examinations required in this section to practice dentistry in this state if the applicant:

(a)  Is 18 years of age or older.

(b)1.  Is a graduate of a dental school accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Dental Association or its successor agency, if any, or any other nationally recognized accrediting agency; or

2.  Is a dental student in the final year of a program at such an accredited school who has completed all the coursework necessary to prepare the student to perform the clinical and diagnostic procedures required to pass the examinations. With respect to a dental student in the final year of a program at a dental school, a passing score on the examinations is valid for 180 days after the date the examinations were completed. A dental school student who takes the licensure examinations during the student's final year of an approved dental school must have graduated before being certified for licensure pursuant to s. 466.011

(c)  Has successfully completed the National Board of Dental Examiners dental examination within 10 years of the date of application.

(3)  If an applicant is a graduate of a dental college or school not accredited in accordance with paragraph (2)(b) or of a dental college or school not approved by the board, the applicant shall not be entitled to take the examinations required in this section to practice dentistry until she or he satisfies one of the following:

(a)  Completes a program of study, as defined by the board by rule, at an accredited American dental school and demonstrates receipt of a D.D.S. or D.M.D. from said school; or

(b)  Completes a 2-year supplemental dental education program at an accredited dental school and receives a dental diploma, degree, or certificate as evidence of program completion.

(4)  Notwithstanding s. 456.017(1)(c), to be licensed as a dentist in this state, an applicant must successfully complete the following:

(a)  A written examination on the laws and rules of the state regulating the practice of dentistry;

(b)1.  A practical or clinical examination, which shall be administered and graded by dentists licensed in this state and employed by the department for just such purpose. The practical examination shall include:

a.  Two restorations, and the board by rule shall determine the class of such restorations and whether they shall be performed on mannequins, live patients, or both. At least one restoration shall be on a live patient;

b.  A demonstration of periodontal skills on a live patient;

c.  A demonstration of prosthetics and restorative skills in complete and partial dentures and crowns and bridges and the utilization of practical methods of evaluation, specifically including the evaluation by the candidate of completed laboratory products such as, but not limited to, crowns and inlays filled to prepared model teeth;

d.  A demonstration of restorative skills on a mannequin which requires the candidate to complete procedures performed in preparation for a cast restoration; and

e.  A demonstration of endodontic skills.

2.  The department shall consult with the board in planning the times, places, physical facilities, training of personnel, and other arrangements concerning the administration of the examination. The board or a duly designated committee thereof shall approve the final plans for the administration of the examination.

3.  If the applicant fails to pass the clinical examination in three attempts, the applicant shall not be eligible for reexamination unless she or he completes additional educational requirements established by the board; and

(c)  A diagnostic skills examination demonstrating ability to diagnose conditions within the human oral cavity and its adjacent tissues and structures from photographs, slides, radiographs, or models pursuant to rules of the board. If an applicant fails to pass the diagnostic skills examination in three attempts, the applicant shall not be eligible for reexamination unless she or he completes additional educational requirements established by the board.

(d)  The board may by rule provide for additional procedures which are to be tested, provided such procedures shall be common to the practice of general dentistry. The board by rule shall determine the passing grade for each procedure and the acceptable variation for examiners. No such rule shall apply retroactively.

The department shall require a mandatory standardization exercise for all examiners prior to each practical or clinical examination and shall retain for employment only those dentists who have substantially adhered to the standard of grading established at such exercise.

History.--ss. 1, 3, ch. 79-330; ss. 13, 15, 25, 26, 30, 34, 62, ch. 80-406; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 8, 38, 41, ch. 82-179; s. 1, ch. 82-220; s. 1, ch. 83-172; s. 87, ch. 83-218; s. 4, ch. 85-156; ss. 5, 23, 24, ch. 86-291; s. 15, ch. 88-205; s. 10, ch. 89-66; s. 48, ch. 90-228; s. 2, ch. 90-341; ss. 13, 60, ch. 91-137; s. 7, ch. 91-156; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 251, ch. 97-103; s. 108, ch. 97-264; s. 1, ch. 2004-300; s. 3, ch. 2005-189.