Chapter 447

CHAPTER 447

DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

SUBCHAPTER I

REGULATION OF DENTISTRY
AND DENTAL HYGIENE

447.01   Definitions.

447.02   Dentistry examining board.

447.03   License required.

447.035   Certification; expanded function dental auxiliaries.

447.04   Licensure; certification.

447.05   Expiration and renewal.

447.055   Continuing education; dental hygienists.

447.056   Continuing education; dentists.

447.057   Continuing education; dental therapists.

447.058   Mobile dentistry program registration.

447.059   Administering certain vaccines.

447.06   Practice limitations.

447.063   Preservation and transfer of patient health care records.

447.065   Delegation of remediable procedures and dental practices.

447.067   Identification of removable prosthetic devices.

447.07   Disciplinary proceedings.

447.09   Penalties.

447.10   Injunction.

447.11   Wisconsin Dental Association.

447.12   County and district dental societies.

447.13   Service insurance corporations for dental care.

447.15   Definitions applicable to indemnification and insurance provisions.

447.17   Mandatory indemnification.

447.19   Determination of right to indemnification.

447.21   Allowance of expenses as incurred.

447.23   Dental society may limit indemnification.

447.25   Additional rights to indemnification and allowance of expenses.

447.27   Court-ordered indemnification.

447.29   Indemnification and allowance of expenses of employees and agents.

447.31   Insurance.

447.34   Reliance by directors or officers.

447.36   Consideration of interests in addition to members’ interests.

447.38   Limited liability of directors and officers.

447.40   Informed consent.

SUBCHAPTER II

DENTIST AND DENTAL
HYGIENIST COMPACT

447.50   Dentist and dental hygienist compact.

447.51   Implementation of the dentist and dental hygienist compact.

Ch. 447 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See definitions in s. 440.01.

subch. I of ch. 447 SUBCHAPTER I

REGULATION OF DENTISTRY
AND DENTAL HYGIENE

447.01 447.01 Definitions. In this subchapter:

447.01(1) (1) “Accredited” means accredited by the American Dental Association commission on dental accreditation or its successor agency.

447.01(1e) (1e) “Administer” means to directly apply a vaccine to the body of a patient by any means.

447.01(1m) (1m) “Community rehabilitation program” means a nonprofit entity, county, municipality, or state or federal agency that directly provides, or facilitates the provision of, vocational rehabilitation services to individuals who have disabilities to maximize the employment opportunities, including career advancement, of such individuals.

447.01(1t) (1t) “Compact” means the dentist and dental hygienist compact under s. 447.50.

447.01(1u) (1u) “Compact privilege” means a compact privilege, as defined in s. 447.50 (2) (g), that is granted under the compact to an individual to practice in this state.

447.01(2) (2) “Dental disease” means any pain, injury, deformity, physical illness or departure from complete dental health or the proper condition of the human oral cavity or any of its parts.

447.01(3) (3) “Dental hygiene” means the performance of educational, preventive or therapeutic dental services. “Dental hygiene” includes any of the following:

447.01(3)(a) (a) Removing supragingival or subgingival calcareous deposits, subgingival cement or extrinsic stains from a natural or restored surface of or a fixed replacement for a human tooth.

447.01(3)(b) (b) Deep scaling or root planing a human tooth.

447.01(3)(c) (c) Conditioning a human tooth surface in preparation for the placement of a sealant and placing a sealant.

447.01(3)(d) (d) Conducting a substantive medical or dental history interview or preliminary examination of a dental patient’s oral cavity or surrounding structures, including the preparation of a case history or recording of clinical findings.

447.01(3)(e) (e) Conducting an oral screening without the written prescription of a dentist.

447.01(3)(f) (f) Participating in the development of a dental patient’s dental hygiene treatment plan.

447.01(3)(g) (g) Any other practice specified in the rules promulgated under s. 447.02 (1) (d).

447.01(4) (4) “Dental hygiene student” means an individual who is enrolled in and in regular attendance at an accredited dental hygiene school.

447.01(5) (5) “Dental hygienist” means an individual who practices dental hygiene.

447.01(6) (6) “Dental student” means an individual who is enrolled in and in regular attendance at an accredited dental school.

447.01(6g) (6g) “Dental therapist” means an individual who practices dental therapy.

447.01(6r) (6r) “Dental therapy” means the limited practice of dentistry, consisting of the services, treatments, and procedures specified in s. 447.06 (3) (b).

447.01(7) (7) “Dentist” means an individual who practices dentistry.

447.01(8) (8) 

447.01(8)(am) (am) “Dentistry” means the examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment, including surgery, of diseases, disorders, or conditions of the human oral cavity or its adjacent or associated tissues and structures, or of the maxillofacial area, and their impact on the human body.

447.01(8)(az) (az) “Dentistry” includes administering vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and influenza under s. 447.059 (1).

447.01(8)(bm) (bm) A dentist who is licensed under this subchapter or who is exercising the compact privilege in this state may not perform dental services that are outside the scope of the dentist’s relevant education, training, and experience.

447.01(9) (9) “Examining board” means the dentistry examining board.

447.01(10) (10) “Mobile dentistry program registrant” means a person registered under s. 447.058.

447.01(11) (11) “Prescription order” has the meaning given in s. 450.01 (21).

447.01(12) (12) “Remediable procedures” means patient procedures that create changes within the oral cavity or surrounding structures that are reversible and do not involve any increased health risks to the patient.

447.01(13) (13) “Written or oral prescription” means specific written or oral authorization by a dentist to perform patient procedures according to a clearly defined treatment plan developed by the dentist.

447.01 History History: 1989 a. 56; 1989 a. 349 ss. 4, 5, 8 to 10; 2013 a. 244, 341; 2017 a. 20; 2021 a. 8; 2023 a. 87, 88.

447.02 447.02 Dentistry examining board.

447.02(1) (1) The examining board may promulgate rules:

447.02(1)(a) (a) Governing the reexamination of an applicant who fails an examination specified in s. 447.04 (1) (a) 5., (1m) (e), or (2) (a) 5. The rules may specify additional educational requirements for those applicants and may specify the number of times an applicant may be examined.

447.02(1)(b) (b) Governing the standards and conditions for the use of radiation and ionizing equipment in the practice of dentistry or dental therapy.

447.02(1)(c) (c) Subject to ch. 553 and s. 447.06 (1), governing dental franchising.

447.02(1)(d) (d) Specifying practices, in addition to the practices specified under s. 447.01 (3) (a) to (f), that are included within the practice of dental hygiene.

447.02(1)(e) (e) Providing for the granting of temporary licenses under this subchapter.

447.02(1)(f) (f) Governing compliance with continuing education requirements under s. 447.056.

447.02(1)(g) (g) Specifying services, treatments, or procedures, in addition to those specified under s. 447.06 (3) (b) 1. to 27., that are included within the practice of dental therapy.

447.02(2) (2) The examining board shall promulgate rules specifying all of the following:

447.02(2)(a) (a) The conditions for supervision and the degree of supervision required under ss. 447.03 (3) (a), (am), (b) and (d) 2. and 447.065.