Becoming a licensed dental professional requires years of training and hard work. Loss of license can mean the end of your career.
What are some of the reasons you can lose your dental license in Pennsylvania?
Dental practices act
Pennsylvania’s Dental Practices Act establishes the reasons a person can lose their dental license in the state:
- Inability to demonstrate the qualifications or standards required to maintain a license
- Engaging in fraud or deceit in obtaining or renewing a license
- Representing yourself or your practice in a deceptive, misleading or fraudulent way
- Receiving a felony conviction or a misdemeanor conviction for a crime that involves moral turpitude
- Violating any provisions of the Act or an order from the board
- Having a revoked license in another state
Additionally, you may lose your license for engaging in unprofessional conduct or deceptive advertising or having a professional association with someone in violation of the Act. Repeated negligence, gross negligence, malpractice or incompetence can also result in loss of license. Persons who can not safely and competently perform their job duties because of drug or alcohol use or as the result of their mental or physical condition may also face loss of license.
Your options if you lose your license
The board must grant you a hearing before it revokes or suspends your license. You can have legal counsel present at this hearing. This provides you with an opportunity to prove that you are not in violation of the Act.
Loss of license can have serious consequences for your career, even if you can restore your license. It is critical to prepare a defense as soon as you receive notification that your license is in jeopardy.