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Republic Act No. 4419
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An Act to
Regulate Practice of Dentistry in the Philippines, and for other purposes Be
it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
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Article I
Title of Act
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Section 1. |
Title of Act.-This Act shall be known as "The Philippine Dental Act of
1965."
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Article II
Objectives and Implementation
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Section 2. |
Objectives. - This Act provides for (a) the regulation, control and
supervision of the practice of dentistry in the Philippines; (b) the giving
of licensure examinations to graduates of recognized dental schools for the
purpose of registration; (c) the regulation and standardization of dental
education; (d) the promotion and development of dental research in the
country; and (e) the stipulation of penalties for infractions or violations
of this Act, or any other laws, rules and regulations authorized under the
provisions of this Act.
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Section 3. |
Implementation. - For the purpose of attaining or carrying out the
objectives of this Act, and in order to implement the other provisions
thereof, there are created the following agencies: (a) The Board of Dental
Examiners; (b) The Council of Dental Education; and (c) the Council for the
Advancement of Dental Research.
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Article III
The Board of Dental Examiners
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Section 4 |
Composition. - The Board of Dental Examiners shall be composed of five
members to be composed of the five members to be appointed by the President
of the Philippines from among candidates certified by the Philippine Dental
Association and/or any other bona fide dental association, upon the
recommendation of its constituent chapter societies or affiliate
organizations, as possessing the qualifications prescribe in Section five of
this Act, said appointments being subject to confirmation by the Commission
on Appointments.
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Section 5 |
Qualifications. - The members of the Board shall, at the time of
appointment: (a) be a natural born citizen of the Philippines and actually
resident thereof; (b) be a duly registered dentist in the Philippines; (c)
must have had at least ten years practice of the profession; (d) must not be
a member of the faculty of any school, college or university where dentistry
is taught, nor shall have, directly or indirectly, any pecuniary interest in
such institutions: (e) must hold be connected in any capacity with any
enterprises, firm or company engaged in the buying, selling or manufacture
of dental goods, equipment, materials or supplies; and (f) must be a member
of good standing of the Philippine Dental Association and/or any other bona
fide dental association for the last five years.
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Section 6 |
Tenure of Office. - The members of the Board shall serve for a term of five
years: Provided, however, That not more than one member shall be appointed
for the full term within the same calendar year, and that appointments shall
be made to fill existing vacancies only, so that the term of one member
shall be due to expire every year: Provided, further, That the member
serving the last year of his term shall automatically become the chairman of
the Board, and shall not be entitled to succeed himself immediately after
the expiration of his name tenure of office.
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Section 7 |
Compensation. - The members of the board shall each receive as compensation
fee of ten pesos per capita of the candidates examined. The chairman of the
Board shall receive no extra compensation.
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Section 8 |
Removal from Office. - Any member of the Board, including the chairman, may
be removed for in competency or continued neglect of duty, for commission or
toleration of irregularities in the examination, or for unprofessional or
dishonorable conduct, after a proper administrative investigation.
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Section 9 |
Powers vested in Board. - The Board of Dental Examiners is vested with
authority, conformably with the provisions of this Act, to issue, suspend or
revoke certificates of registration for the practice of dentistry, or to
reissue the same, subject to approval of the President of the Philippines.
The Board shall have the power.
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Section 10 |
Rules and Regulations - The
Board of Dental Examiners with the approval of the Commissioner of Civil
Service, shall promulgate and adopt such rules and regulations as may be
necessary to implement or carry out the provisions of this Act, especially
those relating to the proper conduct of the examinations custody and
correction of examination papers, registration of dentists, and enforcement
of the Code of Ethics for dentists.
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Section 11 |
Secretary of the Board.
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Section 12 |
Annual Report. - The Board shall, within sixty days after the close of each
fiscal year, prepare and submit an annual report to the President* of the
Philippines which shall include a detailed account of the proceedings of the
Board during the year, an up-to-date register of dentists in the country,
indicating those in private practice and those in the government service,
and embodying such recommendation as the Board may desire to make.
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Article IV Examination and Regulation
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Section 13
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Prerequisite to the Practice of Dentistry. - Unless specifically exempt and
authorized by this Act, no person shall engage in the practice of dentistry
in the Philippines without a certificate of registration as dentist issued
to him by the Board Dental Examiners after successfully passing the required
qualifying examination.
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Section 14
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Definition of Practice of Dentistry. - A person shall be regarded as engaged
in the practice of dentistry or rendering dental service, within the meaning
and intent of this Act, who shall, for a fee, salary, compensation, or any
form of reward, paid to him or through another, or even without such
compensation or reward, perform any operation or part of an operation, upon
the human mouth, jaw, teeth and surrounding tissue; prescribe drugs or
medicines for the treatment of oral diseases and lesions; or correct
malpositions of the teeth: Provided, however, That this provision shall not
apply to artisan or technicians engaged in the mechanical construction of
artificial dentures or fixtures and other oral devices, as long as none such
procedures is done inside the mouth of the patient, nor shall this provision
apply to students of dentistry undergoing practice training in a legally
constituted dental school or college under the direction or supervision of a
member of the faculty who is duly licensed to practice dentistry in the
Philippines; or to registered dental hygienist serving as dentists'
assistants who may be allowed to perform oral prophylaxis and such other
procedures which the law regulating the practice of dental hygienists may
permit. |
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Section 15 |
Exemption from Registration. - Certificates of registration shall not be
required of commissioned dental officers of the army, navy and air forces of
any foreign country, whose operations in the Philippines are permitted by
the Government, while rendering services as such for the members of said
forces only; and of dentist or oral surgeons from other countries who are
invited for consultations or demonstrations, Provided, that in such cases
their work shall be limited to the specific tasks assigned to them and
Provided further, that a previous authority has been granted by the board of
Dental Examiners who shall have been the discretion to determine the
duration of said authority, but in no cases shall it exceed the period of
thirty days. |
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Section 16
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Frequency of Examination. - Licensure examinations for candidates desiring
to practice dentistry in the Philippines shall be conducted by the Board
twice a year in Manila, the first examination to be held not earlier than
two months nor later than three months after the termination of the school
year, the second one to be held six months thereafter, subject to the
approval of the Commissioner of the Civil Service. The Board shall publish
or cause to be published the dates of examination, or any change thereof, at
least ninety days before the scheduled examinations.
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Section 17 |
Qualifications for Admission to
Examination. - In order to be admitted to the licensure examination for
dentists, an applicant must, at the time of filling his application
therefore, establish to the satisfaction of the Board that: (a) he is a
citizen of the Philippines; (b) he possesses good moral character; (c) he
had finished at least a two-year pre-dental course which complies with the
minimum requirements of the Council on Dental Education; and (d) he shall be
a holder of the degree of either Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.), or
Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.), or their equivalents,
conferred by a recognized and legally constituted university, college,
school or institute.
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Section 18
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Scope of Examination. - The licensure examination for the practice of
dentistry in the Philippines shall consist of both written and performance
tests, the scope of which shall be determined and prescribe by the Board,
taking into consideration the teaching plans and education standards of the
state and private dental colleges in the country. It shall includes such
subjects as general anatomy, oral anatomy, general histology, oral histology
and embryology, general histology, oral histology and embryology, general
pathology, oral pathology, general physiology, oral physiology,
pharmacology, microbiology, biochemistry, oral diagnosis and treatment
planning, oral surgery, anesthesia, dental roentgenology, periodontics,
endodontics, nutrition, dental materials, restorative dentistry,
prosthodontics, orthodontics, public health dentistry, dental jurisprudence,
dental economics, ethics, and private management. It shall be the duty of
the Board to prepare the schedule of subjects in the written and performance
tests and to publish the same as approved at least two months before the
date of examination wherein they are to be used.
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Section 19
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Report of Ratings.- The Board of Dental Examiners shall, within one hundred
days after the last day of the examination, report the ratings obtained by
each candidates to the Comissioner of Civil Service who shall, with his
recommendations, submit such results to the President of the Philippines for
approval and release. Failure on the part of the Board to report to the
ratings within the specified time shall mean forfeiture of fifty percent of
the compensation due the members of the Board in that particular
examination. |
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Section 20 |
Issuance of Certificates.-
Certificate of registration as dentist shall, upon the recommendation of the
Board, be issued to any applicant who, after the approval of his ratings by
the Commissioner of Civil Service and the President of the Philippines and
the payment of the required registration fee, *has satisfactorily met all
the requirements specified in this Act. Provided, however, That no
certificate of registration shall be issued to any applicant who has not
reached the age of twenty-one years.
Every certificate of
registration shall show the full name of the registrant, shall have a serial
number, and must be signed by the chairman and members of the Board, the
Commissioner of Civil Service and the secretary of the Board, and shall be
authenticated by the official seal of the Board. The issuance by the Board
of a certificate of registration to the registrant shall be evidence that
the person named therein is entitled to all the rights and privileges of a
registered dentist while said certificate remains unrevoked or unsuspended.
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Section 21
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Fees
for Examination and Registration.- Every applicant to the licensure
examination for dentists shall pay an examination fee of sixty pesos and a
fee often pesos for registration.
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Section 22
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Refusal to Issue Certificates of Certain Causes.- The Board of Dental
Examiners shall refuse to issue a certification of registration to any
person convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of any criminal
offense involving moral turpitude, and to any person guilty of immoral or
dishonorable conduct or to persons of unsound mind, or those suffering from
communicable or contagious disease. In the event of such refusal, the Board
shall give the applicant a written statement setting forth the reason or
reasons for its action, which statement shall be incorporated in the records
of the Board. |
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Section 23 |
Revocation and Suspension of Certificates.- The Board shall also have the
power to revoke or suspend the validity of the certificate of registration
of a dentist for any of the causes mentioned in the preceding section, or
for unprofessional and unethical conduct, malpractice, incompetency, or
serious ignorance or negligence in the practice of dentistry, willful
destruction or mutilation of a nature tooth of a patient with the deliberate
purpose of substituting the same by an unnecessary or unessential artificial
tooth, for making use of fraud, deceit or false statements to obtain a
certificate of registration form bitual use of intoxicating liquors or
drugs, causing him to become incompetent to practice dentistry; for the
employment of persons who are not duly authorized to do the work which under
this Act can only be done by persons who have certificates of registration
to practice dentistry in the Philippines; for the employment of deceit or
any form of fraud with the public ingenral or some clients in particular for
the purpose of extending his clientele; for making false advertisements,
publishing or circulating fraudulent or deceitful allegations regarding his
professional attainment, skill or knowledge, or the methods of treatment
employed by him: Provided, however, That be action of the Board in the
exercise of this power shall be appeasable only to the President* of the
Philippines whose decision in such cases shall be final.
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Section 24 |
Reissue of Revoked Certificate and Replacements of Lost One.- The board may,
after the expiration of five years from the date of revocation of a
certificate of registration, for reasons it may deem sufficient, entertain
any person whose certificate has been revoked, in the same manner as
application for an original certificate, and in so doing it may in its
discretion, exempt the applicant from the necessity of undergoing another
examination. A fee of ten pesos shall be charged for the issuance of a new
certificate in place of another previously revoked. A new certificate of
registration to replace any certificate lost, destroyed or mutilated may be
issued subject to the rules of the Board and a charge of five pesos shall be
made.
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Article V The Council of Dental Education
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Section 25 |
Functions. - The Council on Dental Education shall be a policy-making body
under the Secretary of Education charge with the responsibility of
regulating standardizing dental education in the country. To be effective in
carrying its objectives, the Council shall have the following functions: (a)
to recommend the minimum requirements of the pre-dental l course: (b) to
recommend the minimum requirement of the regular dental course; (c)
determine and prescribe the minimum requirements for the physical plants and
other facilities of schools or college of dentistry; (d) to determine and
prescribe the minimum number of qualifications of teaching personnel,
including student-teacher ratio; (e) to require internship or any form of
hospital training in a teaching hospital as a prerequisite to graduation in
a dental college, provided that no such requirement shall be made effective
earlier than two years after the approval of this Act; (f) to inspect or
visit schools or colleges in connection with the functions of the Council as
herein provided; and (g) to adopt and enforce such rules and regulations as
are necessary for the proper implementation of the objective of the Council.
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Section 26 |
Composition. - The Council on Dental Education shall be composed of the
Secretary of Education as chairman; the Undersecretary of Education as
vice-chairman; the Director of Public Schools, the chairman of the Board of
Dental Examiners, the President of the Philippine Dental Association or any
other bona fide national dental association, a dean representative of
private dental colleges, and the dean of the College of Dentistry,
University of the Philippines, as members. The chairman and members of the
Council shall serve as such only during their incumbency in their respective
positions. |
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Section 27 |
Secretary of the Council. - The Council on Dental Education may designate
the administrative officer or any subordinate official of the Department of
Education to serve as secretary of the Council, and as such he shall keep a
complete record of the proceedings, communications and deliberations of the
Council. |
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Section 28 |
Compensation. - The chairman, members, and secretary of the Council on
Dental Education shall not be entitled to any compensation, except those
authorized by their respective offices and such other expenses as are
necessary in the performance of their official duties as herein provided.
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Section 29 |
Sessions. - The Council shall hold its regular sessions every month at such
time and place to be designated by the Chairman of the Council. Special
sessions may be called by the chairman or upon the request of petition of a
majority of the members of the Council.
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Section 30
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Authority. - The Council is hereby authorized by this Act to determine,
prescribe or modify the length of studies for the pre-dental and the regular
dental course, Provided, that the preparatory course shall not be less than
two years nor more that four years, and in the case of the regular course,
it shall not be less than four years nor more than six years.
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Article VI The Council for the Advance of Dental Research
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Section 31
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Functions. - The Council for the Advancement of Dental Research shall be a
policy-making body, charge with the responsibility of promoting and
developing dental research in the country. In order to carry its objectives,
the Council shall have the following functions: (a) To devise and work out a
plan to establish a dental center, with the promotion of dental research as
its principal goal; (b) To determine and recommend the raising of the
necessary funds to finance this research project, either through the
solicitation of funds from private sources or by direct government
appropriation or financing; (c) To enlist the aid or cooperation of such
government or private entities as may be necessary; and (d) To adopt and
implement such measures, rules and regulations as are necessary for the
carrying out of the objectives of the Council.
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Section 32 |
Composition. - The Council for the Advancement of Dental Research shall be
composed of the Chairman of the National Science Development Board, as
chairman; a representative of the Philippine Dental Association or any other
bona fide national dental association, a representative of the National
Science Development Board, a representative of the Board of Dental
Examiners; and a representative of the Council on Dental Education, as
members. The Chairman and members of the Council shall be appointed by the
President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on
Appointments for a term of five years, unless sooner terminated by the
expiration of their tenure of office in their respective positions.
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Section 33
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Secretary of the Council. - The Council for the Advancement of Dental
Research may designate any members to serve as secretary of the Council, and
as such shall keep a complete records of the proceedings, communications and
deliberations of the Council.
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Section 34 |
Compensation. - The chairman, members and secretary of the Council for the
Advancement of Dental Research shall not be entitled to any compensation
except those authorized by their respective offices and such other expenses
as are necessary in the performance of their respective duties as herein
provided. |
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Section 35 |
Sessions. - The Council shall hold its regular session once every two months
at such time and place to be designated by the chairman of the Council.
Special sessions may be called by the chairman whenever necessary.
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Article VII Penal and Miscellaneous Provisions
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Section 36 |
Penal Provisions. - Any person who shall practice dentistry in the
Philippines as defined in this Act, without the certificate of registration
issued in accordance with the provision of this Act, or has been declared
exempt, or any person presenting or using as his own the certificate of
registration of another, or any person who shall give any false or forge
evidence to the Board in obtaining a certificate of registration, or any
person who shall impersonate any registration, or any person who shall
impersonate any registrant of like or different name, or any person who
shall use a revoked or suspended certificate of registration, or any person
who shall assume, use or advertise as a bachelor of dental surgery, doctor
of dental surgery, master of dental surgery, licentiate of dental surgery,
doctor of dental medicine, or dental surgeon, or append to his name the
letters D.D.S., B.D.S., M.D.S., L.D.S., or D.M.D., without having been
conferred such title or degree in a legally constituted school, college or
university, duly recognized and authorized to confer the same, or advertise
any title or description tending to convey the impression that he is a
dentist, without holding a valid certificate of registration from the Board,
or any person who shall violate any provision of this Act, shall be guilty
of misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to a fine of not
less than three thousand pesos nor more than five thousand pesos or to
suffer imprisonment for a period of not less than one year nor more than
five years, or both, in the discretion of the court.
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Section 37 |
Display of Name and Certificate of Registration. - Every registered
practicing dentist shall display in a conspicuous place in the house or
office where he practices, his name and surname and shall further display
his certificate of registration in his office in plain sight of patients
occupying his dental chair. Any owner or proprietor of a dental office or
establishment is also under obligation to display inconspicuous places in
the office or establishment and to display the certificates of registration
of each and everyone of such persons in the same manner as herein before
provided. |
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Section 38 |
Foreign Reciprocity. - Except in the case of persons otherwise exempt under
the provisions of this Act, no dentist who is a citizen of a foreign country
or a particular state shall be granted any of the rights of privilege under
this Act, unless the country or state of which he is a subject or a citizen
permits dentists who are Filipino citizens to practice within its
territorial limits on the same basis as the subjects or citizens of such
country or state but under the circumstances shall such a set-up be
initiated by the Philippine government.
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Section 39 |
Enforcement of the Act by Officers of the Law. - It shall be the duty of all
dully constituted officers of the law of the national, provincial, city or
municipal governments, to enforce the provisions of this Act and to
prosecute any persons violating the same. The Secretary of Justice shall act
as the legal adviser of the Board of Dental Examiners, the Council on Dental
Education, and the Council for Advancement of Dental Research and shall
render such legal assistance as may be necessary in carrying out the
provisions of this Act.
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Section 40
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Repeal of Laws in conflict with this Act. - All laws, or portions thereof,
orders, ordinances, or rules and regulations in conflict with the provisions
of this Act, as pertain to the practice of dentistry shall be, and are
hereby repealed.
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Section 41 |
Effectivity. - This Act shall
take effect upon its approval.
Approved, June 19,1965. |
Code of Ethics for Filipino Dentist
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