It’s been a busy year for the Colorado Dental Board. The board has updated policies and rules—and the CDA has been there every step of the way. The board also has announced a large number of volunteer opportunities, which is a great way for dentists to get directly involved. Here’s what you need to know.
Call for Colorado Dental Board Members
The Colorado Dental Board will have at least two vacant positions available as of January 2017. Gov. John Hickenlooper will appoint one dentist and one dental hygienist to fill these vacant positions. Each appointment will be for a four-year term (with the potential for a second four-year renewal). The commitment to serve on the state board includes participation in a quarterly full board meeting, a monthly panel and additional committee meetings throughout the year.
In particular, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies seeking applications from interested general dentists, prosthodontists and periodontists, as well as from candidates who can contribute to the gender, ethnic and geographic diversity of the board. If you have applied for a state board position in the past two years, your application should be on file, so you should not need to resubmit it.
Submit your application to the state as soon as possible but no later than Monday, Oct. 31. Please email info@cdaonline.org to let the CDA know you have submitted an application.
Call for Colorado Dental Board Consultants and Committee Members
A great way to get involved with the Colorado Dental Board is to volunteer to serve on a committee or as a board consultant. Two opportunities are available for board volunteers. Apply today to get involved as a consultant or an anesthesia committee member.
The Colorado Dental Board is seeking additional consultants who can provide expertise on disciplinary cases in the following areas:
- Orthodontists and general dentists who do orthodontics
- General dentists who do implants (and mini implants)
- General dentists who do endodontics
- General dentists who do TMJ therapy
- Dentists performing Botox/using dermal fillers
- Dentists using lasers
- Minimal sedation permit holders
The board also is seeking a periodontist with a moderate sedation permit to serve on its anesthesia permit review committee. The volunteer will finish out the remainder of a three-year term that ends Jan. 1, 2018. The committee meets a minimum of 10 times a year and usually conducts one teleconference between those scheduled meetings. More information about this committee can be found in Section 1.B of the latest version of board policies.
Dentists interested in these opportunities are asked to submit a current CV. Include the following information in the CV or cover letter:
- Consulting area or committee of interest
- Description of experience and expertise in area of interest
- Location(s) of your practice (city)
- Specialty and specialty board certification(s), if applicable
- Residency, if applicable
- For anesthesia committee applicants:
- Status of life support training (BLS, ACLS, PALS—include dates)
- The number and types of anesthesia cases you handle annually
- A list of anesthesia-related continuing education completed in the past three to five years
- Other pertinent information highlighting your knowledge, skills and professional experience in this area
Submit applications as soon as possible by email to maulid.miskell@state.co.us or by fax to 303-894-7764.
Advertising Rules and Policies
In July, the Colorado Dental Board adopted changes to Rule XVII regarding advertising, with a particular focus on rules regarding the advertising of specialties and specialty procedures. Dental boards across the country have lost a number of recent court cases due to first amendment, free speech violations related to restricting specialty advertising. Based on these precedents, the Colorado Dental Board revised its advertising rule to allow advertising of nearly all credentials with the use of associated public notices. Previously, advertising of a non-ADA recognized specialty was completely disallowed.
The board has not yet published notification about the new advertising requirements to licensees and stakeholders, likely indicating some flexibility on immediate enforcement. However, the board is expected to discuss this rule again at its October meeting. CDA staff and leadership will be present at this meeting. Interested CDA members are welcome to attend. The meeting is Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. at 1560 Broadway, Ste. 110D, Denver, CO 80202.