(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that schools of dentistry be allowed to offer regional licensure examinations to dental students who are in the final year of a program at an approved dental school for the sole purpose of facilitating the student’s licensing in other jurisdictions. This section does not allow a person to be licensed as a dentist in this state without taking the examinations as set forth in s. 466.006, nor does this section mean that regional examinations administered under this section may be substituted for complying with testing requirements under s. 466.006.

(2) Each school of dentistry in this state which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Dental Association or its successor agency may, upon written approval by the Board of Dentistry, offer regional licensure examinations only to dental students in the final year of a program at an approved dental school, if the board has approved the hosting school’s written plan to comply with the following conditions:

(a) A member of the regional examination body’s board of directors or equivalent thereof must be a member of the American Association of Dental Examiners.

(b) The student must have successfully passed parts I and II of the National Board of Dental Examiners examination within 2 years before taking the regional examination.

(c) The student must possess medical malpractice insurance in amounts not less than the amounts required to take the Florida licensure examinations.

(d) At least one of the examination monitors must be a dentist licensed in this state who has completed all necessary standardization exercises required by the regional examination body. Recruitment of examination monitors is the responsibility of the regional examination body.

(e) Adequate arrangements, as defined by the regional examination body and as otherwise required by law, must be made, when necessary, for patients who require followup care as a result of procedures performed during the clinical portion of the regional examination. The regional examination body must inform patients in writing of their right to followup care in advance of any procedures performed by a student.

(f) The board chair or the chair’s designee must be allowed to observe testing while it is in progress.

(g) Each student, upon being deemed eligible by the dental school to apply to the regional examination body to take the regional examination, must receive written disclosure in at least 12-point boldface type that states: “This examination does not meet the licensure requirements of chapter 466, Florida Statutes, for licensure in the State of Florida. Persons wishing to practice dentistry in Florida must pass the Florida licensure examinations.”

(h) The student must be enrolled as a dental student in the student’s final year of a program at an approved dental school that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Dental Association or its successor agency.

(i) The student must have completed all coursework deemed necessary by the dental school to prepare the student to perform all clinical and diagnostic procedures required to pass the regional examination.

(j) The student’s academic record must not include any evidence suggesting that the student poses an unreasonable risk to any live patients who are required for the clinical portion of the regional examination. In order to protect the health and safety of the public, the dental school may request additional information and documents pertaining to the candidate’s mental and physical health in order to fully assess the candidate’s fitness to engage in exercises involving a live patient.

(3) A student who takes the examination pursuant to this section, a dental school that submits a plan pursuant to this section, or a regional examination body that a dental school proposes to host under this section does not have standing to assert that a state agency has taken action for which a hearing may be sought under ss. 120.569 and 120.57.

History.—s. 2, ch. 2004-300; s. 11, ch. 2011-95.