| (a) Purpose. The purpose of the board is to safeguard the health and safety of Texans by developing and maintaining programs to: (1) Ensure that only qualified persons are licensed to provide dental care; and (2) Ensure that violators of law and rules regulating dentistry are appropriately sanctioned. (b) Functions. The board shall perform the following functions, as outlined in Occupations Code, Chapter 254: (1) Establish standards of dental practice and regulate the practice of dentistry; (2) Interpret and enforce the Dental Practice Act and other statutes relating to the practice of dentistry, and implement the Act's intent through the promulgation and enforcement of rules, as necessary to protect the public health and safety; (3) Receive complaints and investigate possible violations of the Dental Practice Act, other statutes relating to the practice of dentistry, and board rules; (4) Discipline licensees for violations of the Dental Practice Act, other statutes relating to the practice of dentistry, and board rules through appropriate legal action; (5) Investigate infection control in the dental profession and adopt and enforce rules to control the spread of infection in the practice of dentistry as necessary to protect the public health and safety; (6) Adopt and enforce rules placing reasonable restrictions on advertising relating to the practice of dentistry; (7) Adopt rules to prohibit a dentist from engaging in contracts that allow a person who is not a dentist to influence or interfere with the exercise of the dentist's independent professional judgment; |
