Connecticut dental laws are enforced by the Connecticut State Dental Association, which is part of the Connecticut State Department of Health:
410 Capitol Ave, MS #13PH
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308
Licensing Phone: (860) 509-7603 – Menu Option 4
Administrative Phone: (860) 509-8457
Fax: (860) 509-8457
Connecticut provides licensure information online for both dentists and dental hygienists, as well as the ability to renew a license online. There is mandatory continuing education requirements for both dentists and dental hygienists.
There are various Connecticut dental laws for dentists and dental hygienists:
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 379 – Dentistry
- Administration and Use of Anesthesia and Conscious Sedation in Dentistry
- Mandatory Reporters of Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation
- Rules of Practice
- Medical Records
- Declaratory Ruling – Teeth Whitening
- Mandatory Reporting of Impaired Practitioners
Connecticut Dental Laws on Corporate Practice of Dentistry
For the dental support organization (DSO), Connecticut dental laws state the following on the corporate practice of dentistry:
According to the study “Survey of State Laws Governing the Corporate Practice of Dentistry ” by the United States House Oversight Committee, Connecticut law states that “no person, except a licensed and registered dentist, and no corporation, except a professional service corporation organized and existing under chapter 594a for the purpose of rendering professional dental services, and no institution shall own or operate a dental office, or an office, laboratory or operation or consultation room in which dental medicine, dental surgery or dental hygiene is carried on as a portion of its regular business.” Connecticut General Statutes § 20-122(a); see also § 20-123(b)(8). The bar on corporations practicing dentistry in Connecticut exists “to ensure that dentists retain ownership and control over the professional aspects of the practice in order to maintain a high standard of care” OCA v. Christie, 415 F. Supplement 2d 115, 121 (D. Connecticut 2006). A spokesperson for the state’s dental association explained:
“If the current restrictions on ownership were removed, then non-dentists would be permitted to become owners of dental practices… They could, therefore, insist upon a voice in professional as well as managerial aspects of the practice. Since the non-dentist entrepreneur’s prime concern would be the profit making interests of his shareholders, public assurances of a single standard of care could not be guaranteed. At times the interest of non-dentist owners might conflict with professional standards of care.”
Id. (quoting Connecticut Joint Standing Committee Hearings, Government Administration and Elections, Part II, 1980 Session, at 492).
