2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 5 - Board of Dental Examiners and College of Dental Surgeons (§§ 81 — 123) › Subchapter I - Board of Dental Examiners (§§ 81 — 95) › § 81 - Creation

The Governor of Puerto Rico shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, a Board of Dental Examiners, hereinafter known as the Board, which shall be composed of seven (7) dentists of good repute, permanently residing in Puerto Rico, who have each practiced dental surgery in this Commonwealth for a minimum term of five (5) years.
At least one (1) and no more than two (2) of the members of the Board shall have been engaged in teaching some branch of odontology for five (5) years or more, in a school of odontology accredited by the Board of Dental Examiners or recognized by the Higher Education Council.
Provided, however, That during the term of their appointment as members of the Board, they shall not belong to the faculty of any school of odontology.
Appointments shall be made for terms of five (5) years each. In all cases, the persons thus appointed shall continue in office until their successors have been appointed and qualify, and the Board shall elect a chairman from among its members; Provided, That if there is a vacancy before the term of any of the Board members expires, the person appointed to fill the vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the term.
The Governor of Puerto Rico may remove any Board member for negligence in the performance of his duties or in the exercise of his profession, for having been convicted of a felony implying moral turpitude, or when his license has been suspended, revoked or cancelled.
In addition to the other functions duties and responsibilities provided herein, the Board shall:
(a) License the practice of the dental profession and its specialties, that of dental assistant and dental hygienist in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter and the regulations adopted by virtue thereof.
(b) Deny, suspend, cancel or revoke any license as provided herein.
(c) Provide by regulations, for the development of an effective and extensive orientation program addressed to those who are candidates to study odontology, in terms of the need of dentists in Puerto Rico, the legal requirements to take a revalidation examination and to obtain a permanent license in Puerto Rico, and the implications or consequences of attending dentistry schools not recognized by the Board, among others.
(d) Adopt standards for the recognition of foreign schools of dentistry. Those schools whose admission requirements and academic curricula for the purpose are analogous to those required by the School of Odontology of the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico shall be recognized.
(e) Develop an information system which will permit the establishment of a statistical ratio between the revalidation results and the applicant’s characteristics, and establish a register containing the basic data on the applicants of the revalidation examination such as age, sex, school in which they trained and academic index upon admission to dental school.
History —Aug. 8, 1925, No. 75, p. 550, § 1; Apr. 20, 1929, No. 31, p. 198, § 1; May 13, 1939, No. 160, p. 806, § 1; Apr. 13, 1946, No. 320, p. 848; June 24, 1963, No. 76, p. 236; June 23, 1971, No. 74, p. 216; Oct. 9, 1986, No. 11, p. 817, § 1.