Are Dentists governed by the same laws and regulations as Medical Doctors?

Are Dentists governed by the same laws and regulations as Medical Doctors?

[1] Dentists have separate regulations from medical doctors. However there are certain laws which are applicable to all healthcare professionals, which would include Dentists.

[2] Dentistry is regulated by the Dental Council of India (DCI), a statutory body established under the Dentists Act, 1948.

[3] The DCI is responsible for ensuring the standards of education, training, and practice of dentistry in India, and for maintaining the Indian Dental Register.

[4] To practice dentistry in India, a dentist must have a recognized dental qualification and be registered with the DCI.

[5] Dentists are also subject to other laws and regulations which are common for all healthcare professionals, such as the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which protects patients from medical negligence and malpractice.

[6] Like Medical Doctors, Dentists must also comply with the various state-level regulations that govern healthcare, such as the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010.

[7] Dentists can face lawsuits and disciplinary action in dental councils, consumer courts, civil courts and criminal courts.

[8] Dentist have a separate Indian Dental Association Code of Ethics, formulated in 2014.

[9] The Dental code of ethics being formulated much more recently than the Medical Code of Ethics, is more modern and suitable for recent times than the Medical Code of Ethics which was introduced in 2002.

[10] The dental code of ethics even deals with very relevant modern day aspects of practice, like practitioners having websites, advertisement in social media etc.

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