PRELIMINARYCentral
Section 2 of The National Dental Commission Act, 2023
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--
- (a)"Autonomous Board" means any of the Autonomous Boards constituted under section 16;
- (b)"Chairperson" means the Chairperson of the National Dental Commission appointed under section 4;
- (c)"Commission" means the National Dental Commission constituted under section 3;
- (d)"Council" means the Dental Advisory Council constituted under section 11;
- (e)"Dental Assessment and Rating Board" means the Board constituted under section 16;
- (f)"dental auxiliary" includes a dental hygienist or a dental mechanic or a dental operating room assistant or such other category as may be specified by the Commission;
- (g)"dental hygienist" means a person not being a dentist or a medical practitioner who scales, cleans or polishes teeth, or gives instruction in dental hygiene;
- (h)"dental institution" means any institution within or outside India which grants degrees, diplomas, certificates for certification courses or licences in dentistry and includes affiliated colleges, deemed to be Universities and institutions mentioned in the Schedule;
- (i)"dental mechanic" means a person qualified to perform laboratory work required for the prosthetic rehabilitation of dental and maxillofacial structures and orthodontic appliances;
- (j)"dental operating room assistant" means a person who assists the dentist in sterilising and handing over instruments as required by the dentist at the chair side;
- (k)"dentist" means a person who practices dentistry;
- (l)"dentistry" includes the science, practice and research in dental and oral health, directed towards--
- (i)facilitating healthy development of dentition, jaws and dentofacial structures;
- (ii)prevention of oral diseases and promotion of oral health;
- (iii)diagnosis and use of diagnostic tests, investigations and procedure to decide the normal and abnormal state or diseases of teeth, gums, jaws and related tissues necessary for the functions of the oral cavity;
- (iv)performing procedures for the optimisation of dental and oral health, which may include restoration, rehabilitation, surgery or a combination thereof, to restore the functions, structural anatomy and aesthetics of the stomatognathic system and the masticatory apparatus;
- (v)creating awareness and working knowledge of the effects of systemic health on dentition and oral cavity and to perform the duties of an active member of the healthcare team, including basic life support;
- (vi)promoting good systemic health through diagnosis and necessary interventions related to oral health conditions; and
- (vii)bringing awareness of oral health related issues of the society and of nation and to facilitate implementation of the updated policies of the Government or Government bodies in this regard;
- (m)"Ethics and Dental Registration Board" means the Board constituted under section 16;
- (n)"Fund" means the National Dental Commission Fund referred to in sub-section (1) of section 39;
- (o)"leader" means the Head of a Department or the Head of an Institute or organisation;
- (p)"licence" means a licence to practice dentistry granted under sub-section (1) of section 31;
- (q)"Member" means a Member of the Commission appointed under section 4 and includes the Chairperson thereof, or, as the case may be, a Member of the Autonomous Board referred to in section 17 and includes the President thereof;
- (r)"National Register" means the National Register for Dentists or the National Register for Dental Auxiliaries, as the case may be, maintained by the Ethics and Dental Registration Board under section 30;
- (s)"notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette and the expression "notify" shall be construed accordingly;
- (t)"prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
- (u)"President" means the President of an Autonomous Board appointed under section 18;
- (w)"regulations" means the regulations made by the Commission under this Act;
- (x)"registered professional" means any dentist or dental auxiliary who is registered in the National Register or the State Register under section 30;
- (y)"Schedule" means the Schedule to this Act;
- (z)"State Dental Council" means a dental council constituted under any law for the time being in force in any State or Union territory for regulating the practice and registration of practitioners of dentistry in that State or Union territory and includes a Joint Dental Council referred to in sub-section (7) of section 29;
- (za)"State Register" means the State Register for Dentists or the State Register for Dental Auxiliaries, as the case may be, maintained under any law for the time being in force in any State or Union territory for registration of dentists or dental auxiliaries, as the case may be;
- (zb)"Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Dental Education Board" means the Board constituted under section 16;
- (zc)"University" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (f) of section 2 (3 of 1956) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 and includes a health University.
Summary
- The section defines the exact legal meaning of specific words used throughout the law to avoid confusion.
- It clarifies that the term Commission refers exclusively to the National Dental Commission created under Section 3, and its Chairperson is the one appointed under Section 4.
- It explains that an Autonomous Board refers to any of the specialized boards created under Section 16 of the law.
- It broadens the definition of dentistry to include not just fixing teeth, but also preventing oral diseases, researching dental health, and understanding how systemic body health relates to the mouth.
- It defines dental auxiliaries as support staff like dental hygienists, dental mechanics, and dental operating room assistants.
Practical examples
1Raj is a dental mechanic who makes prosthetic dentures in a lab. Under the law, he is officially categorized as a dental auxiliary, even though he is not a dentist.
2A researcher studying how diabetes affects gum tissue is considered to be practicing a form of dentistry, because the definition includes research on the effects of systemic health on the oral cavity.
FAQ
1. Who counts as a dental auxiliary under the law?
A dental auxiliary includes dental hygienists, dental mechanics, dental operating room assistants, and any other category the Commission decides to add later.
2. What makes someone a dental hygienist?
A dental hygienist is someone who is not a dentist or a medical doctor, but who cleans, scales, or polishes teeth, or gives instructions on dental hygiene.
3. Does dentistry only mean performing surgery on teeth?
No, the definition is broad. It includes the science, practice, and research of dental health, prevention of oral diseases, and creating awareness about how general body health affects the mouth.
4. What does the term Autonomous Board mean in this law?
It refers to any of the specific boards, like the Dental Assessment and Rating Board, that are officially set up under Section 16 of this Act.
Test yourself
Q1.Under Section 2 of The National Dental Commission Act, 2023, which of the following tasks is specifically included in the legal definition of a dental hygienist?
Q2.Section 2 of The National Dental Commission Act, 2023 cross-references Section 16 when defining an Autonomous Board. Based on these connected rules, what does the term Autonomous Board actually refer to?
Q3.Under Section 2 of The National Dental Commission Act, 2023, what role defines a dental operating room assistant?
Q4.Section 2 of The National Dental Commission Act, 2023 defines the Chairperson by cross-referencing Section 4. If a dispute arises about who leads the Commission, how does this cross-reference resolve it?
Q5.Under Section 2 of The National Dental Commission Act, 2023, which of the following is explicitly included as part of the legal definition of dentistry?