Amendments to Dental Act Introduced

Amendments to the Dental Act will give the Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia options to include conditions and restrictions when licensing new dentists.

Amendments introduced today, April 15, will allow the board to grant an initial license to practice dentistry with conditions and/or restrictions. Conditions can range from practicing with supervision for a period of time or taking additional courses in areas like ethics. Restrictions mean dentists would be prohibited from performing certain procedures for a specified period of time.

"The Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia is confident that the bill being introduced today will provide the board with important new powers when adjudicating applications for licensure," said Dr. Tom Raddall, chair of the provincial board. "It will also strengthen the board's ability to exercise its mandate of public protection in the delivery of dental care for Nova Scotians."

Applicants who are dissatisfied with a licensing decision would appeal this decision to a Registration Appeal Committee.

Other amendments include:

• authorizing the creation of a Registration Appeal Committee
• authorizing the registrar to impose conditions or restrictions on a license if it is necessary
• expanding the regulation making of the dental board
• authorizing the dental board to name persons to the Registration Appeal Committee and to set out in regulations, the committee's powers, procedures, actions, sanctions and other remedies.

"Current legislation allows the board to either grant or deny a full license, it does not enable licensing with conditions that could better support the dentist and their patients," said Minister of Health and Wellness Leo Glavine.

"Moving forward, the Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia will have the same licencing options as more than half the other regulatory bodies in the province."

The amendments are based on recommendations from the Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia.