To amendregulations for unprofessional conduct to adopt, by reference, the Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct of the American Dental Association.

The petition will be published on July 13, 2015 in the Register of Regulations and also posted on the Virginia Regulatory Townhall at www.townhall.virginia.gov to receive public comment ending August 12, 2015.  The request to amend regulations and any comments for or against the petition will be considered by the Board at its meeting scheduled for September 18, 2015.

At its meeting on September 18, 2015, the Board voted to deny the petition.  The Board reviewed comments on the petition, a crosswalk between the ADA Code and Virginia law and regulation, and the Code itself.  Members were reminded that the Board relied heavily on the ADA Code in the 2010 development of amended regulations, so most of the standards in the Code are addressed in current or proposed regulations.  Additionally, some of the standards in the ADA Code, such as participation in professional societies, are not appropriate to establish as grounds for disciplinary action.

 While the Board appreciates the aspirational language of the ADA Code, it must rely on more objective standards on which to base a finding of unprofessional conduct and discipline a licensee.