Pennsylvania Code › Title 49 - PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL STANDARDS › Part I - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › Subpart A - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS › Chapter 33 - STATE BOARD OF DENTISTRY › Subchapter C - MINIMUM STANDARDS OF CONDUCT AND PRACTICE › Section 33.202 - Fictitious names

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a) Dentists may
					 use a fictitious name that is not false, misleading or deceptive.
(b) Dentists who wish to practice under a
					 fictitious name shall submit to the Board a fictitious name registration and
					 the fee specified in §
											33.3 (relating to fees). The
					 dentist who submits the registration shall be associated with the facility and
					 shall assume responsibility for compliance with this section. The owner of the
					 facility, if different from the applicant, shall be identified on the
					 registration.
(c) Changes in the
					 ownership of a dental facility, changes in the designation of the responsible
					 dentist, changes in the scope of practice or changes in professional staffing,
					 shall be reported in writing within 10 days.
(d) Advertisements in any medium shall
					 include the name, as it appears on the current biennial renewal certificate,
					 and the degree-D.D.S. or D.M.D.-of at least one licensed dentist who is
					 associated with the dental facility. The lettering for the name of the dentist
					 shall be at least equal in size to the lettering used for the fictitious name.
					 The dentist referred to in this subsection and the dentist who registered to
					 use the name under subsection (b) shall be jointly responsible for the
					 advertisement.
(e) A directory
					 listing the names of the dentists practicing at that location shall be
					 prominently displayed in the entrance or reception area of the dental
					 facility.
(f) The names of dentists
					 who have practiced under the fictitious name shall be maintained in the records
					 of the dental facility for at least 5 years following their departure from the
					 practice.
(g) The use of the name
					 of a dentist no longer actively associated with the practice may be continued
					 for up to 1 year.
(h) Dentists who
					 are specialists under §
											33.203(d)(1)
					 (relating to advertising) may incorporate their area of specialization in their
					 fictitious name. A specialist in one area may include another recognized
					 specialty area, or a nonspecialty area, in a fictitious name (examples: a
					 specialist in orthodontics using Central Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
					 or a specialist in periodontics using Central Periodontics and Cosmetic
					 Dentistry) only if the specialist conspicuously discloses, in every medium in
					 which the name is used, that specialty status does not extend to the other
					 specialty or nonspecialty area.
(i)
					 Dentists who are not specialists under §
											33.203(d)(1) may
					 incorporate any area of dentistry in their fictitious name, including the
					 recognized specialties, only if the name, in every medium in which it is used,
					 is accompanied by the conspicuous disclosure that services are provided by a
					 general dentist.
(j) A fictitious
					 name may not include the word "clinic" unless the name designates a public or
					 quasipublic facility as defined in §
											33.1 (relating to
					 definitions).
(k) A fictitious name
					 may not include the word "institute" unless the name designates an educational
					 or research facility.
(l) A
					 fictitious name may not, by the use of plurals or otherwise, misrepresent the
					 number of dentists practicing at a facility or the number of dentists at the
					 facility who are specialists under §
											33.203(d)(1).
This section cited in 49 Pa. Code §
													33.203 (relating to
						  advertising).