Section 2 - National Dental Commission Act, 2023

The National Dental Commission Act, 2023

2. Definitions.-

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;

(v) "recognised dental qualification" means a dental qualification recognised under section 33 or section 34 or section 35, as the case may be;

(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.