Texas Register

TITLE 22 EXAMINING BOARDS
PART 5STATE BOARD OF DENTAL EXAMINERS
CHAPTER 107DENTAL BOARD PROCEDURES
SUBCHAPTER BCOMPLAINTS AND INVESTIGATIONS
RULE §107.104Official Investigation of a Complaint
ISSUE 07/08/2016
ACTION Proposed
Preamble Texas Admin Code Rule

(a)Once an official investigation commences, board staff shall notify the complainant and respondent of the filing of the complaint and the commencing of the official investigation. The complainant and the respondent shall receive notice of the complaint's status, at least quarterly, until final disposition of the complaint, unless such notice would jeopardize an investigation.

(b)The official investigation of a complaint may include referral to a panel of experts for review.

(c)As of September 1, 2016, board staff shall classify each filed complaint into one or more of the following allegation categories:

  (1)Standard of Care: failure to treat a patient according to the standard of care in the practice of dentistry or dental hygiene.

  (2)Sanitation: failure to maintain the dental office in a sanitary condition.

  (3)Dishonorable Conduct: unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, including conduct identified in §108.9 of this title (related to Dishonorable Conduct).

  (4)Administrative: failure to comply with administrative requirements of the Act or board rules.

  (5)Business Promotion: failure to comply with the requirements of the Act or board rules relating to advertising and referral schemes.

  (6)Practicing Dentistry without a License.

  (7)Non-compliance: failure to comply or timely comply with an Order or Remedial Plan issued by the board.

(d)Board staff shall assign each filed complaint a priority classification, as follows:

  (1)Priority 1 includes allegations of dental treatment causing serious patient harm, impairment, serious criminal activity, inappropriate contact with a patient, and other allegations determined by the Director of Investigations to require an expedited investigation or consideration of temporary suspension pursuant to §263.004 of the Act.

  (2)Priority 2 record-keeping violations, administrative violations, allegations of practicing dentistry without a license that do not allege serious patient harm, and other allegations that do not allege serious patient harm.

  (3)A complaint's priority classification may be changed following approval of the Director of Investigation or the Dental Director.

The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed the proposal and found it to be within the state agency's legal authority to adopt.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on June 24, 2016

TRD-201603210

Kelly Parker

Executive Director

State Board of Dental Examiners

Earliest possible date of adoption: August 7, 2016

For further information, please call: (512) 475-0977



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