Chapter 447 — DENTISTRY AND DENTAL HYGIENE

447.01 Definitions. In this subchapter: (1) “Accredited” means accredited by the American Dental Association commission on dental accreditation or its successor agency. (1e) “Administer” means to directly apply a vaccine to the body of a patient by any means. (1m) “Community reha…

447.02 Dentistry examining board. (1) The examining board may promulgate rules: (a) Governing the reexamination of an applicant who fails an examination specified in s. 447.04 (1) (a) 5., (1m) (e), or (2) (a) 5. The rules may specify additional educational requirements for those …

447.03 License required. (1) DENTISTS. Except as provided under sub. (3) and ss. 257.03 and 447.02 (3), no person may do any of the following unless he or she is licensed to practice dentistry under this subchapter or holds a compact privilege to practice dentistry: (a) Practice …

447.035 Certification; expanded function dental auxiliaries. (1) In this section, “auxiliary” means an expanded function dental auxiliary. (2) Notwithstanding s. 447.03 (1) and (2), a certification to practice as an auxiliary granted under s. 447.04 (3) shall permit the holder to…

447.04 (1) that must be met by a dentist to be permitted to induce general anesthesia or conscious sedation in connection with the practice of dentistry. (c) Whether an individual is required to be licensed under this subchapter to remove plaque or materia alba accretions with me…

447.05 Expiration and renewal. (1) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), renewal applications shall be submitted to the department on a form provided by the department on or before the applicable renewal date specified under s. 440.08 (2) (a) and shall include the applicable renewa…

447.055 Continuing education; dental hygienists. (1) (a) 1. Except as provided in subs. (3) and (4), a person is not eligible for renewal of a license to practice dental hygiene, other than a permit issued under s. 447.02 (3), unless the person has May 22, 2026, are designated by…

447.056 Continuing education; dentists. (1) Except as provided in subs. (2) to (4), a person is not eligible for renewal of a license to practice dentistry, other than a permit issued under s. 447.02 (3), unless the person has taught, attended, or otherwise completed, during the …

447.057 Continuing education; dental therapists. (1) (a) Except as provided in subs. (3) and (4), a person is not eligible for renewal of a license to practice dental therapy, other than a permit issued under s. 447.02 (3), unless the person has taught, prepared, attended, or oth…

447.058 Mobile dentistry program registration. (1) REGISTRATION REQUIRED. No person may own or operate a mobile dentistry program in this state unless the person is registered under this section. A person that wishes to own or operate more than one mobile dentistry program in thi…

447.059 Administering certain vaccines. (1) A dentist may administer without a prescription order a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus or influenza only if he or she satisfies all of the following: (a) The dentist successfully completes 8 hours in a course of study and traini…

447.06 Practice limitations. (1) No contract of employment entered into between a dentist or dental therapist and any other party under which the dentist or dental therapist renders dental services may require the dentist or dental therapist to act in a manner that violates the p…

447.063 Preservation and transfer of patient health care records. (1) A person who manages or controls a business that offers dental, dental therapy, or dental hygiene services, including management or control of a business through which the person allows another person to offer …

447.065 Delegation of remediable procedures and dental practices. (1) A dentist or dental therapist may delegate to an individual who is not licensed under this subchapter May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 447.065 DENTISTRY EXAMINING BOARD only the perfor…

447.067 Identification of removable prosthetic devices. (1) Except as provided in sub. (2), a dentist who constructs a removable prosthetic device shall mark the device with the patient’s first and last name. Except as provided in sub. (2), a dentist who authorizes a dental labor…

447.07 Disciplinary proceedings. (1) The examining board may, without further notice or process, limit, suspend, or revoke the license or certificate of any dentist, dental therapist, or dental hygienist, or the registration of a mobile dentistry program registrant, who fails, wi…

447.09 Penalties. Any person who violates this subchapter may be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year in the county jail or both for the first offense and is guilty of a Class I felony for the 2nd or subsequent conviction within 5 years. History: 19…

447.10 Injunction. If it appears upon the complaint of any person to the examining board, or it is believed by the examining board that any person is violating this subchapter, the examining board, or the district attorney of the proper county, may investigate such alleged violat…

447.11 Wisconsin Dental Association. The Wisconsin Dental Association is continued with the general powers of a domestic nonstock corporation. It may take by purchase or gift and hold real and personal property. It may adopt, alter and enforce bylaws and rules for the admission a…

447.12 County and district dental societies. (1) The dentists of any county who are licensed to practice dentistry under this subchapter, provided there are at least 5 in the county, may organize a county dental society as a component of the Wisconsin Dental Association. When so …

447.13 Service insurance corporations for dental care. The Wisconsin Dental Association or, in a manner and to the extent approved by the Wisconsin Dental Association, a county or district dental society, may establish in one or more counties a service insurance corporation for d…

447.15 Definitions applicable to indemnification and insurance provisions. In ss. 447.15 to 447.31: (1) “Dental society” means a county or district dental society organized or continued under s. 447.12. (2) “Director or officer” means any of the following: (a) A natural person wh…

447.17 Mandatory indemnification. (1) A dental society shall indemnify a director or officer, to the extent he or she has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of a proceeding, for all reasonable expenses incurred in the proceeding if the director or officer w…

447.19 Determination of right to indemnification. Unless otherwise provided by the articles, constitution or bylaws or by written agreement between the director or officer and the dental society, the director or officer seeking indemnification under s. 447.17 (2) shall select one…

447.21 Allowance of expenses as incurred. Upon written request by a director or officer who is a party to a proceeding, a dental society may pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses as incurred if the director or officer provides the dental society with all of the followin…

447.23 Dental society may limit indemnification. (1) A dental society’s obligations to indemnify under s. 447.17 may be limited as follows: (a) If the dental society is organized before June 13, 1987, except as provided in s. 447.12 (4), by an amendment to its articles, constitut…

447.25 Additional rights to indemnification and allowance of expenses. (1) Except as provided in sub. (2), ss. 447.17 and 447.21 do not preclude any additional right to indemnification or allowance of expenses that a director or officer may have under any of the following: (a) Th…

447.27 Court-ordered indemnification. (1) Except as provided otherwise by written agreement between the director or officer and the dental society, a director or officer who is a party to a proceeding may apply for indemnification to the court conducting the proceeding or to anot…

447.29 Indemnification and allowance of expenses of employees and agents. A dental society may indemnify and allow reasonable expenses of an employee or agent who is not a director or officer to the extent provided by the articles, constitution or bylaws, by general or specific a…

447.31 Insurance. A dental society may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of an individual who is an employee, agent, director or officer of the dental society against liability as- DENTISTRY EXAMINING BOARD 447.38 serted against and incurred by the individual in his or he…

447.34 Reliance by directors or officers. Unless the director or officer has knowledge that makes reliance unwarranted, a director or officer of a county or district dental society organized or continued under s. 447.12 may, in discharging his or her duties to the dental society,…

447.36 Consideration of interests in addition to members’ interests. In discharging his or her duties to a county or district dental society organized or continued under s. 447.12 and in determining what he or she believes to be in the best interests of the dental society, a dire…

447.38 Limited liability of directors and officers. (1) Except as provided in subs. (2) and (3), a director or officer of a county or district dental society organized or continued under s. 447.12 is not liable to the dental society, its members or creditors, or any person assert…

447.40 Informed consent. Any dentist or dental therapist who treats a patient shall inform the patient about the availability of reasonable alternate modes of treatment and about the benefits and risks of these treatments. The reasonable dentist standard is the standard for infor…

447.51 Implementation of the dentist and dental hygienist compact. (1) In this section, “compact privilege” has the meaning given in s. 447.50 (2) (g). (2) The department may impose a fee for an individual to receive a compact privilege as provided in s. 447.50 (4) (a) 4. (3) (a)…