1. A. The South Carolina Board of Dentistry may issue in its discretion a temporary restricted license to a dentist not licensed in this state to allow a licensed dentist, currently licensed in another state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States, to engage in the lawful practice of dentistry solely for the purpose of obtaining continuing education credits in a live patient course.

   1. (1) A temporary restricted license may be issued without examination or payment of a fee for a period of time not to exceed seven consecutive days and shall automatically expire at that time or upon the conclusion of the continuing education course. The Board may issue two restricted temporary licenses to a dentist per calendar year, with discretion to issue a third license. If a dentist is unable to attend the live-patient continuing education course for which he has registered, he shall immediately notify the Board before the continuing education course is scheduled to begin and such license shall not count against the total licenses available for that calendar year.

2. B. The Applicant must provide proof that the applicant:

   1. (1) has graduated and received either a D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree from a dental school;
   2. (2) is currently licensed in another state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States, provided that such licensure followed successful completion of a general dentistry clinical examination administered by another state or regional examining board;
   3. (3) is currently in good standing and is not the subject of a pending disciplinary action in any jurisdiction in which the dentist is or has been licensed;

   4. (4) has been actively engaged in one or more of the following immediately preceding the application:

      1. (a) The practice of dentistry;
      2. (b) An approved dental residency training program;
      3. (c) Postgraduate training deemed by the Board equivalent to an approved dental residency training program.
   5. (5) has malpractice insurance or confirmation that the hosting entity has malpractice insurance in place for patients seen as part of the continuing education course or provide confirmation from the hosting entity that the dentist is covered under the hosting entity’s malpractice insurance;
   6. (6) has a pending contract or other proof of enrollment with an approved hosting entity that is sponsoring the continuing education course;
   7. (7) has proof of current basic life support (BLS) or cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification accepted by the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI); this certification cannot be a self-study course and must be obtained in person;
   8. (8) Dentists holding a temporary restricted license pursuant to this section may only practice at the site of the hosting entity and only while under the supervision of a South Carolina licensed dentist identified by the hosting entity to the Board as an instructor for the course for which the attendee is appearing;
   9. (9) Dentists holding a temporary restricted license under this section may only perform local anesthesia or administer nitrous oxide but no other form of sedation.

3. C. Before a live-education continuing education course can proceed with dentists holding a temporary restricted license, the following criteria must be met:

   1. (1) Patients treated at a Board-approved hosting entity who are to be treated in whole or part by dentists holding a temporary restricted license must be low-income patients, subject to the exception provided by the Board;

      1. (a) “Low-income” means: (i) a person who is Medicaid eligible under the laws of this state; (ii) a person who is without health or dental insurance whose family income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level as defined annually by the Federal Office of Management and Budget; or (iii) who has health or dental insurance that does not cover the injury, illness, or condition for which treatment is sought and whose family income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level as defined annually by the Federal Office of Management and Budget.
      2. (b) The only exception to this requirement is if a low-income patient scheduled for the course cancels or refuses to proceed and the only patient available at that time is one who does not meet this criteria, in which case the care must still be provided without cost to the patient.

   2. (2) A prospective hosting entity must submit the following information to the Board and be approved by the Board or its designee prior to hosting a live patient continuing education course:

      1. (a) The live-patient continuing education courses must be accredited by The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), The American Dental Association (ADA) Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP), The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) Program Approval for Continuing Education (PACE), The American Medical Association (AMA), or other accrediting body acceptable to the Board.
      2. (b) The hosting entity must provide proof of current dental malpractice insurance and coverage limits.
      3. (c) The hosting entity must provide a description of the course and procedures to be performed, including whether anesthesia will be used and the level of sedation that will be achieved. Once a hosting entity has been approved, but seeks to perform new or additional courses or procedures, the hosting entity must update the Board with this information prior to the new continuing education seminar proceeding. All hosting entities must have current sedation permits for the facility at which the course will be taught.
      4. (d) The hosting entity shall provide the identification and qualifications of all instructors who will be teaching the continuing education course and supervising temporary restricted licensees. All instructors must have an unrestricted South Carolina license.
      5. (e) The hosting entity shall submit to the board a certifying statement that all dental procedures shall be performed on a free and uncompensated basis to low-income patients, except as provided herein.
      6. (f) The hosting entity must certify to the Board that it has arranged to provide emergency follow-up care that may result from a procedure done at these events and/or arrange to have South Carolina licensed dentists provide such emergency care as well as any follow-up care naturally occurring from the procedures performed.
      7. (g) The hosting entity must report to the Board in compliance with S.C. Reg. 39-17, Reporting of Adverse Occurrences.
      8. (h) The hosting entity must maintain patient records in compliance with S.C. Code Sections 40-14-450.

   3. (3) The hosting facility must observe the following guidelines in hosting live-patient continuing education courses:

      1. (a) For surgical courses, the instructor-to-attendee ratio cannot not exceed 1:2. For nonsurgical courses, the instructor-to-attendee ratio cannot not exceed 1:4. The maximum number of attendees at any one course is limited to 20 attendees.
      2. (b) Instructors with outstanding discipline on their license or who have a pending disciplinary action are not eligible to be an instructor at a live CE course until such time as their discipline is resolved or their license is in good standing. For purposes of this subsection, “pending disciplinary action” means an action or proceeding for which a Board has authorized a formal complaint. “Licensed in good standing” means that one’s authorization to practice has not been revoked, suspended in any way, or placed on probation, and there are no restrictions or limitations currently in effect.

HISTORY: Added by SCSR 49-5 Doc. No. 5355, eff May 23, 2025.