REPUBLIC ACT No. 768             June 20, 1952

AN ACT TO REGULATE THE PRACTICE OF DENTAL HYGIENISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

ARTICLE I
Title of Act

SECTION 1. Title of Act. - This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Dental Hygienist Law".

ARTICLE II
Examining Board for Dental Hygienists

SECTION 2. Board of Dental Examiners. - The Board of Dental Examiners created under Republic Act Numbered Four hundred and seventeen, as amended, shall be the examining and licensing board of dental hygienists.

SECTION 3. Secretary of the Boards. - The Secretary of the Boards of Examiners appointed under Act Numbered Four thousand and seven, as amended by Republic Act Numbered Five hundred forty-six, shall also be the Secretary of the Board of Dental Examiners in connection with the examination and registration of dental hygienists as provided for in this Act. All records and minutes of the deliberations of the Board, including examination papers, under this Act, shall be kept by the Secretary.1awphil@alf

SECTION 4. Compensation of the Board. - The Members of Board shall each receive as compensation a fee not exceeding five pesos per capita of candidates examined under the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 5. Powers and duties of the Board. - The Board of Dental Examiners shall, with respect to the regulation of the practice of dental hygienists in the Philippines, have the same powers as those vested in them by the Dental Law. It shall, subject to the approval of the President and with the advice and consent of the Commissioner of Civil Service, adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. It shall also submit an annual report to the President after the close of each fiscal year giving a detailed account of the proceedings of the Board under this Act during the year and embodying such recommendations as the Board may desire to make with a view to improving the standards in the practice of dental hygienists in the Philippines.

ARTICLE III
Examination and Registration of Dental Hygienists

SECTION 6. Certificate of registration. - No person shall practice as dental hygienist in the Philippines as defined in this Act without holding a valid certificate of registration as registered dental hygienist issued by the Board of Dental Examiners.

SECTION 7. Scope of practice of dental hygienist. - A person shall be regarded as rendering services as dental hygienist, within the meaning and intent of this Act, who shall, with or without compensation, remove calcific deposits, accretion and stains from the exposed surfaces of the teeth, perform surface application of medicaments for the prevention and control of dental caries, or do other helpful duties in the reception and care of patients, in the sterilization of instruments, and in rendering assistance to the dentist at the chair or laboratory; and shall not perform operations on the teeth or tissues of the mouth which only the qualified dental practitioner could do under the provisions of Republic Act Numbered Four hundred and seventeen, as amended. A dental hygienist, within the meaning of this Act, shall always be understood as one working under the supervision of a registered dentist. Dentists, schools, public institutions, or commercial firms may employ registered dental hygienists but, nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing any dental hygienist to perform any work in the mouth without the direct supervision of a licensed dentist.

SECTION 8. Examination. - All applicants for registration as dental hygienists shall be required to pass an examination as provided for in this Act, which shall be given by the Board of Dental Examiners on the second Tuesday of June and December of each year in Manila or at such other place as may be deemed necessary and expedient by the Board, subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Civil Service.1awphil@alf

SECTION 9. Qualifications for examination. - In order to be admitted to the dental hygienist examination, an applicant must, before admission thereto, establish to the satisfaction of the Board that —

(a) He is a citizen of the Philippines;

(b) He is at least eighteen years of age;

(c) He is of good moral character and reputation;1awphil@alf

(d) He is not suffering from any contagious disease and is physically fit to perform services as a dental hygienist;

(e) He had finished a standard four-year high school course or its equivalent in a school recognized by the government; and

(f) He had graduated with the title of graduate dental hygienist (G.D.H.) or its equivalent, after completing a dental hygienist course of at least two years and of a standard or scope duly approved by the Board from a legally incorporated dental college or university, dental infirmary, or any other institution of equal standing, duly accredited and recognized by the Government.

SECTION 10. Scope of examination. - The examination for dental hygienist shall cover the fundamental on the following subjects: chemistry, physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, histology, bacteriology, radiography, principles of nursing and firstd, hygiene and preventive dentistry, dental health education, ethics and economics, dental assisting, and such other subjects which the Board may deem necessary; and a performance test of such scope which would adequately cover the field of dental hygienists.

SECTION 11. Ratings in the examination. - In order to pass the examination, a candidate must obtain a general rating of seventy-five percent in the return test as well as in the performance test, with no rating below sixty percent in any subject or practical exercise.

SECTION 12. Report of results. - The Board of Dental Examiners shall, within one hundred and twenty days after the examination, report the results thereof to the Commissioner on Civil Service who shall, with his recommendation, submit such results to the President of the Philippines for approval.

SECTION 13. Insurance of certificates. - After satisfactorily passing the examination, the applicant shall be issued a license as a dental hygienist. This license or certificate of registration shall show the full name of the registrant, shall have a serial number, and shall be signed by the members of the Board and attested by the secretary of the Board. The license shall remain in force until the annual registration fee as required in this Act becomes due and thereafter so long as he complies with the provisions of this Act relative to the annual registration fee, but not otherwise.

SECTION 14. Refusal to issue, revocation and suspension of licenses. - The grounds or causes and the procedure governing refusal to issue licenses as dental hygienist, and revocation and suspension of the same, as well as the reissuance of revoked certificates and replacement of lost ones shall be the same as those provided in the Dental Law with respect to certificates of registration as dentist.

ARTICLE IV
Sundry provisions relative to the practice of Dental Hygienists

SECTION 15. Prohibitions in the practice of dental hygienist — Penal provisions. - Any person who shall practice as a dental hygienist in the Philippines, within the meaning and intent of this Act, without a license or certificate of registration issued in accordance with the provisions hereof, and certificate of health executed at least once a year by a medical officer of the government; or any person presenting or using as his own the certificate of registration of another, or any person who shall give any false or forged evidence to the Board in obtaining a certificate of registration, or any person who shall impersonate any registrant of like or different name, or any person who shall use a revoked or suspended certificate or registration, or any person who shall assume, use, or advertise any title or letters, or description tending to convey the impression that he is a dental hygienist without holding a valid certificate of registration from the Board, or any person who shall violate any provision of this Act, shall be guilty of misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to a fine of not less than one thousand pesos nor more than five thousand pesos or to suffer imprisonment for a period of not less than one year nor more than five years, or both in the discretion of the court.

SECTION 16. Enforcement of the Act by officers of the law. - It shall be the duty of all duly constituted officers of the law of the National Government, or of any provincial, city or municipal government, to enforce the provisions of this Act and to prosecute any person violating the same. The Secretary of Justice shall act as the legal adviser of the Board and render such legal assistance as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 17. Liability of dentist and dental hygienist in not observing requirement of this Act. - The Board of Dental Examiners may revoke or suspend the license of any dental hygienist violating the provisions of this Act. It may also revoke or suspend the license of any registered dentist who shall permit any dental hygienist operating under his supervision to perform any operation in the mouth of the patient other than that permitted under the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 18. Schedule of charges and fees. - The amount of charges and fees for dental hygienist prescribed by this Act is that fixed by the following schedule:

(a) The fee for examination is thirty pesos.

(b) The fee for registration is ten pesos.

(c) The annual registration fee is two pesos.

(d) The fee for a duplicate certificate is ten pesos.

SECTION 19. Act not affecting other professions. - This Act shall not be construed to affect or prevent the practice of other legally established professions in the Philippines.1awphil@alf

ARTICLE V
Final Provisions

SECTION 20. The sum of two thousand pesos is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated to be disbursed by the Commissioner of Civil Service in accordance with the provisions of this Act. All sums collected in accordance with this Act shall be paid into the National Treasury as part of the general funds thereof: Provided, That during the first twelve months of the operation of this Act, any portion of the sums collected may be used for the purposes of this Act to cover disbursements in excess of the amount appropriated herein.

SECTION 21. All laws, parts of the laws, orders, ordinances, or regulations in conflict with the provisions of this Act, as pertain to the practice of dental hygiene shall be, and are hereby, repealed.

SECTION 22. This Act shall take effect, upon its approval.

Approved: June 20, 19521awphil@alf


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