Dental News - AAID files suit challenging how Texas recognizes dental specialties

Dental Tribune USA

Wed. 9 April 2014

save

NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) filed suit in Federal District Court in Austin, Texas, recently, challenging the constitutionality of a regulation promulgated by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners that limits dentists from advertising to the public as “specialists.”

According to the AAID, the regulation (Texas Administrative Code Sec. 108.54) delegates the authority to determine “specialties” and which dentists can call themselves “specialists” to the American Dental Association, a private trade association over which the Texas Board of Dental Examiners has no control. Specialty recognition is entirely determined within the ADA through a political process carried out by competitor dentists, with no opportunity for review or appeal by any licensed dentist in Texas.

The AAID was joined by three other organizations that issue bona fide credentials and certifications in various areas of dentistry, such as implant dentistry, dental anesthesia, orofacial pain and oral medicine. The plaintiff organizations are the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, the American Academy of Oral Medicine and the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. Five individual Texas licensed dentists are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

“This law violates several constitutional guarantees to Texas dentists, including the right to due process, equal protection under the law and the right to free speech,” said Frank Recker, DDS, JD, attorney for the AAID. “This regulation is similar to a Florida state statute that also deferred specialty recognition to the ADA [DuCoin v Viamonte Ros], which was declared unconstitutional in 2009.”

Established in 1951, the AAID is the only dental implant organization that offers credentials recognized by state and federal courts as being bona fide. Its membership, which exceeds 4,600, includes general dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists and prosthodontists from across the United States and in more than 60 other countries.

(Source: AAID)

To post a reply please login or register

AAID sues Texas Dental Board

AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA: The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Austin seeking to invalidate a Texas ...

AAID recognizes outstanding dentists at its annual conference

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) recognized four dentists with the highest awards given by the academy during its recently concluded 66th ...

Surgical Specialties is now Corza Health

Corza Health announced earlier this year that it has merged with Surgical Specialties — a company known for its extensive selection of solutions, from the...

AACD to hold 26th Scientific Session in Texas

The 26th Annual American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) Scientific Session will take place at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, from Tuesday, 27 ...

Removing separated files with the Terauchi File Retrieval Kit

I once asked my good friend Dr. Yoshi Terauchi how many canals he shaped with a given nickel titanium rotary file before discarding it and bringing a new ...

AACD unveils speaker roster for its 2010 meeting in Texas

NEW YORK, NY and Madison, WI, USA: The 26th Annual American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) Scientific Session will take place in Grapevine, TX, 27 ...

DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties supports free dental clinic

TULSA, Okla., USA: DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties sponsored the sixth annual Oklahoma Mission of Mercy dental clinic, which was held Feb. 6 and 7 in ...

DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties celebrates its 25th anniversary

NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. The company was founded as Tulsa Dental Products by Dr. Wm....

Dental industry going strong, even in challenging times

CHICAGO, IL, USA: The United States economy may be in the grips of a recession, but you would not know that judging by business activity at dental events ...

New biosensor on tooth enamel recognizes dental superbugs

PRINCETON, N.J., USA: Researchers have developed a prototype for a graphene-based nanosensor that is able to detect pathogens even at extremely low ...

Education

Live webinar
Wed. 1 October 2025
1:00 PM EST (New York)