Missouri Rules and Regulations

For comprehensive information on other regulatory issues such as informed consent, HIPPA, and much more, please visit the MDA Practice FAQ page located in the online Member Center.

Advertising Regulations
The Missouri Dental Board governs how dentists may advertise their practice through a rule for addressing the public.

Additional Resources:

Basic Life Support Certification

To qualify for licensure, you must hold current certification in Basic Life Support (BLS).  The BLS for Healthcare Providers Course is designed to provide a wide variety of healthcare professionals the ability to recognize several life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR, use an AED, and relieve choking in a safe, timely and effective manner. 

    CE Reporting Period

    The current reporting period for the Missouri Dental Board CDE requirement began on 12/1/20 and ends 11/30/21. It is the responsibility of the dentist to retain proof of continuing education. Of the 50 C.E. hours required for dentists (30 for hygienists), 10 hours (5 for hygienists) may be in management; the remainder must be technical.  Any hours acquired beyond the required number may be carried forward into the next time block, not to exceed 25 hours for dentists (15 hours for hygienists). 

    Page 15: Continuing Education Rule
    Dentists are required to retain records documenting completion of the required hours of continuing education for a minimum of six (6) years after the reporting period in which the continuing education was completed.

    Page 16: Continuing Education Rule

    Change of Employment
    The Missouri Dental Board requires that dentists inform them of hygienists who begin, or cease, to work at their practice.

    Page 13: 20 CSR 2110-2.140 Notice, Change of Employment - Dental Hygienists

    Jury Duty
    In order to be excused from jury duty, health care professionals must provide a statement to the court that they are providing health care services to patients, and that the person's service as a juror would be detrimental to the health of the person's patients.  For more information review:
    Missouri Statute on Jury Duty for Healthcare Professionals 

    Keeping Lab Work Orders for Records
    Dentists are required to maintain “an adequate and complete patient record for each patient”. Records must be maintained for a minimum of seven years from the date of the last professional service or, in the case of minor, seven years from the age of majority. Laboratory records must be kept for seven years. For additional information regarding the maintenance of records, please view:

    Missouri statute 332.052

    MO Dental Board
    The Missouri Dental Board serves to protect the public by ensuring that only qualified persons are allowed to become licensed to practice dentistry and to further ensure that licensed dental professionals practice in accordance with the rules and statutes of the Dental Practice ​Act.  

    The Missouri state dental board is the appropriate agency to contact for the most current and up-to-date information about licensure requirements, the state Dental Practice Act, or other licensure-related information.

    Please visit their website for all applications for all types of licensure as well as permits for oral, IV and deep sedation.

    Additional Resources: 
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    Name and Address Change
    Per Missouri Dental Board Rule 20 CSR 2110-2.175, licensees shall keep the board informed of their legal name, mailing address and telephone number. Any change shall be reported to the board in writing within thirty (30) days. Change your address with the Missouri Dental Board by completing the online form.  

    Page 15:
    Dental Board Rule 20 CSR 2110-2.175
    Online Name Change Form
    Additional entities to file a change of address with include the DEA and BNDD.  If you conduct any activities with controlled substances in Missouri, you must have a BNDD and DEA registration. The BNDD and DEA do not register “practices” or “offices” or “clinics.” The registrations are issued to individual practitioners; however, the registration is valid for the specific address to which the registration was issued. If a dentist changes that practice location, BNDD must be notified prior to or within 30 days of the effective date of the address change. If a dentist changes a practice location and does not notify the BNDD within this allotted time, the registration automatically terminates.

    Additional Resources:
    To update your address with the ADA, MDA and GSLDS, email Membership Director Susan Prosperi at susan@stlouisdental.org

    National Provider Identity (NPI)
    The National Provider Identifier (NPI) is a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Administrative Simplification Standard. The NPI is a unique identification number for covered health care providers. Covered health care providers and all health plans and health care clearinghouses must use the NPIs in the administrative and financial transactions adopted under HIPAA.  

    Applying for an NPI is free of cost and relatively easy. To apply online, visit the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System website. Those with valid applications should receive their NPI via email within one to five business days. Dentists who prefer to submit paper applications should contact the NPPES customer service hotline at 1-800-465-3203. The paper application process should take between four and six weeks. During the application, you will be asked for your "Provider Taxonomy Code." This is an alphanumeric code that designates a health care provider's area of specialization. Questions about the status of an NPI application may be emailed to customerservice@NPIEnumerator.com 

    For more information about NPIs in general, please visit Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services website

    Patient Abandonment
    The Patient Abandonment rule (located on page 9) of the Dental Practice Act defines the duties of a dentist to their active patients if he or she moves their practice to a location inconvenient to active patients.  It is important to review this rule when moving your practice to ensure you are in compliance.

    Patient Injury
    If a medical emergency requiring hospitalization occurs in your office, be sure to comply with the Missouri Dental Board notification requirement.  The rule requires dentists to submit a report to the Dental Board within 30 days of any mortality or any injury requiring hospitalization within the dentist’s knowledge which occurs to a patient during or within 24 hours of administration of local anesthesia, nitrous oxide inhalation analgesia, conscious sedation with parenteral or enteral drugs, deep sedation, or general anesthesia, while under the care of the dentist.  The required report must be submitted on a form obtained from the Missouri Dental Board by the treating dentist.


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    Patient Requests for Records

    All dentists shall, upon written request of a patient, or guardian or legally authorized representative of a patient, furnish a copy of his or her record to the person submitting a written request within a reasonable time of the request and upon payment of a reasonable fee (see Statute for amounts, which change annually), which shall not exceed the actual cost of time and material used to compile, duplicate and furnish such record.

    • Providers may charge for the reasonable cost of all duplications of health care record material or information which cannot routinely be copied or duplicated on a standard commercial photocopy machine.
    • You must furnish a copy of the records, regardless if patients have a balance due or not.
    • Dentists are required to keep all original records and x-rays which are considered property of the doctor, but copies must be furnished.
    • Statutory Amounts, Updated Annually

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    Record Keeping/Releasing

    The dental record, also referred to as the patient's chart, is the official office document that records all of the treatment done and all patient-related communications that occur in the dental office. It is necessary to keep accurate records to provide continuity of treatment and in case of a malpractice suit. Dental records should all be completely objective and should only include necessary treatment information. The record should have a dated notation that the patient was asked about recent health and medication changes and any changes should be updated in the record. Your professional liability insurance company and/or attorney may be consulted for more information.

    Suspected Child, Domestic or Nursing Home Abuse
    Dentists and health professionals that have reasonable cause to suspect a child has been or may be subjected to abuse or neglect, or observes a child being subjected to conditions which would reasonably result in abuse or neglect, shall immediately report this to the Missouri Department of Health and Social Services or call the Child Abuse Hotline at 800-392-3738. Because dentists are required to report child abuse or neglect due to your occupation, you must identify yourself when making the report.  For more information, view Missouri Statute Section 210.115.1 

    Dentists are also required to report nursing home abuse if you have reasonable cause to believe that a resident of a facility has been abused or neglected. The report should be made to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Elder Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-392-0210.  For more information, view Missouri Statute Section 198.070.1

    There are however no reporting requirements for domestic abuse in the state of Missouri. Doctors may wish to refer patients to the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence for information and resources.