1. (1) The Kentucky Board of Dentistry shall consist of ten (10) voting members, each appointed by the Governor to a four (4) year term, and additional nonvoting ex officio members selected by their respective organizations as follows:

   1. (a) Seven (7) voting members of the board shall be licensed dentists, at least three
   2. (3) of whom shall be general dentists. Each shall be appointed from a list of three (3) names recommended for each board position by the resident licensed dentists of Kentucky at an annual election at a time selected by the Kentucky Board of Dentistry;
   3. (b) Two (2) voting members of the board shall be dental hygienists licensed to practice dental hygiene in the Commonwealth. Each shall be from a list of three (3) names recommended for this position by the resident licensed dental hygienists of Kentucky at an annual election at a time selected by the board;
   4. (c) One (1) voting member shall be a citizen at large who is not associated with or financially interested in the practice or business regulated;
   5. (d) One (1) nonvoting ex officio representative from each dental school program in Kentucky that is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation
   6. (CODA) shall represent the dental schools' interests;
   7. (e) Two (2) nonvoting ex officio representatives from the dental hygiene degree programs in Kentucky that are accredited by CODA and that are not associated with a dental school shall represent the dental hygiene programs' interests. The dental hygiene school seats shall rotate on a staggered, biennial basis; and
   8. (f) One (1) nonvoting ex officio representative from the Department for Public Health shall represent the department's interests. Individuals seeking board appointment as a voting member, other than the citizen member, shall have been an actual resident and a licensed practicing dentist or dental hygienist of the Commonwealth for not less than five (5) years immediately preceding his or her appointment to the board, be in good standing with the board, and shall not have been disciplined by the board in the past eight (8) years. A voting member shall not receive compensation from or have a financial interest in any dental college or dental department of any institution of learning, dental supply business, or any entity over which the board has regulatory authority or for which it sets standards. For this subsection alone, a private admonishment shall not count as discipline.
2. (2)
3. (3) A board member shall not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms. A member appointed to a partial term vacancy exceeding two (2) years shall be deemed to have served one (1) full term. A former member may be reappointed following an absence of one (1) term.

4. (4) The board shall annually:

   1. (a) Meet at least four (4) times a year;
   2. (b) At the first meeting of the board after July 1, elect officers of the board by majority vote of the members present; and
   3. (c) Set a schedule of at least four (4) regular meetings for the next twelve (12) month period.
5. (5) A majority of the voting members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the

6. (6) transaction of business.

   1. (a) A member of the board who misses three (3) regular meetings in one (1) year shall be deemed to have resigned from the board, and his or her position shall be deemed vacant.
   2. (b) The failure of a board member to attend a special or emergency meeting shall not result in any penalty.
   3. (c) The year specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection shall begin with the first meeting missed and end three hundred sixty-five (365) days later or with the third meeting missed, whichever occurs earlier.
   4. (d) The Governor shall appoint a person of the same class to fill the vacancy within ninety (90) days.
   5. (e) A person removed under this subsection shall not be reappointed to the board for four (4) years.
7. (7) Each voting member of the board shall receive any necessary expenses incurred in attending its meetings. Each voting member shall receive as compensation two hundred dollars ($200) for each day actually engaged in the duties of his or her office.
8. (8) Annual reports and recommendations from the board shall be sent by February 1 each year to the Governor and the General Assembly.

Effective: April 13, 2026

History: Amended 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 131, sec. 2, effective April 13, 2026. -- Repealed and reenacted 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 85, sec. 2, effective July 15, 2010. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 556, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1998, prevails over ch. 552, sec. 4, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1964 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 2(1). -- Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective October 1, 1942, from Ky. Stat. secs. 2636- 3, 2636-18. Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/98). This section was amended by 1998 Ky. Acts chs. 552 and 556. Where these Acts are not in conflict, they have been codified together. Where a conflict exists, Acts ch. 556, which was last enacted by the General Assembly, prevails under KRS 446.250.