(a) The state board of dentistry is established and consists of:

1. (1) nine (9) practicing dentists licensed under IC 25-14 who must have been in practice in Indiana for not less than five (5) years;

2. (2) one (1) practicing dental hygienist who:

   1. (A) has been practicing in Indiana as a dental hygienist for at least five (5) years; and
   2. (B) is licensed under IC 25-13-1 ; and
3. (3) one (1) member to represent the general public who must be a resident to this state and in no way associated with the profession of dentistry other than as a consumer.

(d) The appointment of the dentist members shall be made in a manner that, at all times, each dentist member on the board represents and is a resident of one (1) of nine (9) examiner districts set forth in this subsection. Each dentist member shall be chiefly responsible in the performance of his or her duties with regard to the district from which he or she is appointed. The nine (9) dentist members' districts consist of the following counties:

1. (1) District 1. Tipton, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion, Hancock, Morgan, Johnson, and Shelby.
2. (2) District 2. Lake, Porter, LaPorte, and Jasper.
3. (3) District 3. St. Joseph, Elkhart, Starke, Marshall, Kosciusko, and Fulton.
4. (4) District 4. LaGrange, Steuben, Jay, Noble, Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells, DeKalb, and Adams.
5. (5) District 5. Knox, Daviess, Gibson, Pike, Dubois, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer, and Perry.
6. (6) District 6. Newton, Benton, White, Pulaski, Cass, Miami, Wabash, Grant, Howard, Carroll, Warren, Tippecanoe, and Clinton.
7. (7) District 7. Vermillion, Parke, Fountain, Montgomery, Boone, Putnam, Vigo, Clay, Sullivan, Owen, Greene, and Martin.
8. (8) District 8. Madison, Delaware, Blackford, Randolph, Rush, Fayette, Union, Henry, and Wayne.
9. (9) District 9. Monroe, Brown, Bartholomew, Decatur, Franklin, Lawrence, Jackson, Jennings, Ripley, Dearborn, Orange, Washington, Scott, Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, and Clark.

(e) The board may issue licenses to applicants who pass an examination administered by an entity that has been approved by the board.

Formerly: Acts 1913, c.138, s.2; Acts 1931, c.169, s.1; Acts 1935, c.90, s.1; Acts 1949, c.248, s.1; Acts 1963, c.151, s.1; Acts 1971, P.L.372, SEC.1. As amended by Acts 1977, P.L.2, SEC.76; Acts 1977, P.L.172, SEC.11; Acts 1981, P.L.222, SEC.120; Acts 1982, P.L.113, SEC.51; P.L.169-1985, SEC.46; P.L.24-1999, SEC.10; P.L.103-2011, SEC.12; P.L.249-2019, SEC.62; P.L.149-2025, SEC.1.