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Dental Technicians Act, 1979 (Act No. 19 of 1979)

Notices

Acts or Omissions of Dental Technicians and Technologists in respect of which the Council may take Disciplinary Action

9. General

 

(1) Exhibiting to the general public view in .any manner, articles or appliances, including models, diagrams and charts or any materials, pertaining to his or her profession as a dental technician contractor other than—
(a) inside the dental laboratory;
(b) with the permission of the registrar;
(c) at organised events where dental and oral health education is intended; or
(d) in consultation with the dentist, exhibit dental appliances inside a dental surgery waiting area with the intention of educating the public in which case the name of the registered dental laboratory must appear;

 

(2) Failing to attend properly, in a professional manner and to the best of his or her ability, to dental technology work entrusted to him or her;

 

(3) Failing to adequately supervise staff in his or her employ , or staff not in his or her employ who he or she is obliged to supervise;

 

(4) Abandoning his or her practice as a dental technician contractor without prior notice to dentists or other dental technician contractors who have placed orders with him or her as a subcontractor for dental technology work and without arranging with them for the completion and dispatch of such work;

 

(5) Abandoning his or her practice as a registered dental technician  contractor for a period of time without a registered and suitably qualified dental technician or dental technologist that can oversee the work and take the required responsibility during the agreed period away from the practice;

 

(6) Failing to inform a dentist or other dental technician subcontractor of any professional limitation, lack of experience or unfamiliarity with a particular material, technique or technology;

 

(7) Failing to reply, within a reasonable period, to any form of correspondence or to deal appropriately with all forms of communication which reasonably require a reply or response;

 

(8) A dental technician or dental technologist who, without the consent of the registrar, publishes in the lay press, under the registrar's name, any articles on dental technology or dentistry which addresses any audience in this respect, whether directly or in any filmed, taped, duplicated or other transmitted form, broadcasting on the radio or television service or otherwise communicating with the public or a section thereof on dental technological or dental subjects.

Provided that—

(a) the publication of an article or other relevant information by a dental technician or dental technologist in a professional journal or scientific book, or in specific media of any other profession, for use by the profession and by students of dental technology and dentistry where his or her name and professional qualifications are mentioned; and
(b) the divulgence in the lay press or on the radio, television, social and other electronic media, under his or her own name, or the expression by means of lectures or addresses to a lay audience of his or her opinions on subjects of a professional nature—
(aa) by a full-time or part-time dental technician who is not in private practice, acting in his or her official capacity where such divulgence or expression forms a bona fide part of his or her official duties;
(bb) by any officer of a dental technicians' association acting in his or her official capacity and in accordance with instructions from such association; and
(cc) by any dental technician regarding matters of purely academic nature,

 

shall be admissible; and

 

(9) Establishing a website which goes beyond the intention of informing dentists on the services available or informing and educating the public on oral health options in terms of materials and technology available, as well as general instructions on how to take care of newly acquired dental appliances, in which case the website must be designed in such a way that—
(a) the general information available to the public must be separated from the more detailed and profession-specific information for dentists which must be username and password protected;
(b) case studies, including photographs, video inserts and animations may be part of what is not username and password protected; and
(c) contracts, agreements, price structures and other related information must only be available in the protected area of the website, including—
(i) bulk short message services (sms) and electronic mails (e-mails) to members of the dental profession, other than to members of the dental technology profession; and
(ii) in the case of this type of communication being sent to dentists, it must be directed at an individual which can be followed up on in further direct communication , this subclause must be in adherence to the Electronic Communications Act, 2005 (Act No. 36 of 2005).