A dentist may advertise or represent oneself as a specialist or use the terms specializes, specializing, or another variation of either term, for any specialty in which the dentist has completed a post-doctoral program that:

1. (1) Consists of at least two full-time years; and

2. (2) Is accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or is administered by a dental school accredited by an organization recognized by the United States Department of Education.

   A dentist advertising or representing oneself as a specialist or using the term specializes, specializing, or another variation of either term, must avoid any implication that another dentist associated with the same practice or entity is a specialist, unless that dentist meets the requirements of this section.

   Declaration to the public of a specialty practice or the inference of specialty status not authorized by this section is engaging in false or misleading advertising.

Source: SL 1975, ch 16, § 1; 6 SDR 87, effective March 2, 1980; 11 SDR 73, effective November 27, 1984; 12 SDR 151, 12 SDR 155, effective July 1, 1986; 18 SDR 132, effective February 17, 1992; 37 SDR 131, effective January 6, 2011 ; 50 SDR 12, effective August 8, 2023 .

General Authority: SDCL 36-6A-14 ( 20 ).

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-6A-14 (1)(22), 36-6A-28 , 36-6A-29 , 26-6A-59.1(13) .

Prior versions effective: 2011-01-06.