(a)

(1) A dentist in this state licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners who has complied with requirements as specified by the Council on Dental Education and Licensure of the American Dental Association in a specialty branch of dentistry or who has otherwise met the requirements of the rules promulgated by the board may apply for a certificate as a specialist.

(2)

(A) The application shall be accompanied by the payment of a fee to be prescribed by the board.

(B) The fee shall be an amount reasonably calculated to cover the cost of the examination and other costs incurred by the board in issuing the certificate.

(3)

(A) The application shall be kept on file for at least sixty (60) days before the regular meeting of the board.

(B) If the application is accepted, the applicant shall be notified to appear for an examination as defined by the rules of the board.

(b) Examinations may be oral or written, or both, and the applicant may be required to demonstrate his or her knowledge and proficiency in the specialty in which he or she desires to be certified.

(c) The board is authorized to certify specialists in all specialty areas approved by the American Dental Association.

(d) A dentist not licensed by the board but who is eligible to take the Arkansas State Board Examination and is further eligible for specialty examination may take both examinations at the discretion of the board.

(e) A licensed dentist shall not hold himself or herself out to the public as a specialist or publicly announce as being specifically qualified in any particular branch of dentistry or publicly announce as giving special attention to any branch of dentistry until he or she has been issued a certificate by the board authorizing him or her to do so.

(f) A dentist in this state licensed by the board who on February 21, 1969, is limiting his or her practice to a particular branch of dentistry and who is holding himself or herself out to the public as a specialist in a particular branch of dentistry, upon application to the board, shall be certified as a specialist in that branch of dentistry and shall not be required to take the examination provided for in subsection (b) of this section.

(g)

(1) The issuing of a specialist license by the board is a special privilege granted to that member that allows him or her to announce to the public that he or she is especially qualified in a particular branch of dentistry.

(2) The issuance of a specialist license does not limit a licensed dentist's ability to practice in any other area of dentistry for which the dentist is qualified, including general dentistry.

(3) A dentist who has been issued a specialist license under this section may announce and hold himself or herself out to the public both as a specialist in the area covered by his or her specialty certificate and as a dentist who provides general dentistry services if the dentist practices his or her specialty at least fifty percent (50%) of the time that he or she practices dentistry during a calendar year.