1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the National Dental
Commission Act, 2023.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force on such date1
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and
any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference
to the coming into force of that provision.
2. Definitions.— In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “Autonomous Board” means any of the Autonomous Boards constituted under
section 16;
(b) “Chairperson” means the Chairperson of the National Dental Commission
appointed under section 4;
(c) “Commission” means the National Dental Commission constituted under
section 3;
(d) “Council” means the Dental Advisory Council constituted under section 11;
(e) “Dental Assessment and Rating Board” means the Board constituted under
section 16;
(f) “dental auxiliary” includes a dental hygienist or a dental mechanic or a dental
operating room assistant or such other category as may be specified by the Commission;
(g) “dental hygienist” means a person not being a dentist or a medical practitioner
who scales, cleans or polishes teeth, or gives instruction in dental hygiene;
(h) “dental institution” means any institution within or outside India which grants
degrees, diplomas, certificates for certification courses or licences in dentistry and
includes affiliated colleges, deemed to be Universities and institutions mentioned in the
Schedule;
1. 29th February, 2024, Sections 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 17, 19, 40, 41, 53 and 58(5), vide notification No. S.O. 990(E), dated 29th
February, 2024, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, sec. 3(ii).
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(i) “dental mechanic” means a person qualified to perform laboratory work required
for the prosthetic rehabilitation of dental and maxillofacial structures and orthodontic
appliances;
(j) “dental operating room assistant” means a person who assists the dentist in
sterilising and handing over instruments as required by the dentist at the chair side;
(k) “dentist” means a person who practices dentistry;
(l) “dentistry” includes the science, practice and research in dental and oral health,
directed towards—
(i) facilitating healthy development of dentition, jaws and dentofacial structures;
(ii) prevention of oral diseases and promotion of oral health;
(iii) diagnosis and use of diagnostic tests, investigations and procedure to decide
the normal and abnormal state or diseases of teeth, gums, jaws and related tissues
necessary for the functions of the oral cavity;
(iv) performing procedures for the optimisation of dental and oral health, which
may include restoration, rehabilitation, surgery or a combination thereof, to restore
the functions, structural anatomy and aesthetics of the stomatognathic system and the
masticatory apparatus;
(v) creating awareness and working knowledge of the effects of systemic health
on dentition and oral cavity and to perform the duties of an active member of the
healthcare team, including basic life support;
(vi) promoting good systemic health through diagnosis and necessary
interventions related to oral health conditions; and
(vii) bringing awareness of oral health related issues of the society and of nation
and to facilitate implementation of the updated policies of the Government or
Government bodies in this regard;
(m) “Ethics and Dental Registration Board” means the Board constituted under
section 16;
(n) “Fund” means the National Dental Commission Fund referred to in sub-section (1)
of section 39;
(o) “leader” means the Head of a Department or the Head of an Institute or
organisation;
(p) “licence” means a licence to practice dentistry granted under sub-section (1) of
section 31;
(q) “Member” means a Member of the Commission appointed under section 4 and
includes the Chairperson thereof, or, as the case may be, a Member of the Autonomous
Board referred to in section 17 and includes the President thereof;
(r) “National Register” means the National Register for Dentists or the National
Register for Dental Auxiliaries, as the case may be, maintained by the Ethics and Dental
Registration Board under section 30;
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(s) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette and the
expression “notify” shall be construed accordingly;
(t) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(u) “President” means the President of an Autonomous Board appointed under
section 18;
(v) “recognised dental qualification” means a dental qualification recognised under
section 33 or section 34 or section 35, as the case may be;
(w) “regulations” means the regulations made by the Commission under this Act;
(x) “registered professional” means any dentist or dental auxiliary who is registered in
the National Register or the State Register under section 30;
(y) “Schedule” means the Schedule to this Act;
(z) “State Dental Council” means a dental council constituted under any law for the
time being in force in any State or Union territory for regulating the practice and
registration of practitioners of dentistry in that State or Union territory and includes a Joint
Dental Council referred to in sub-section (7) of section 29;
(za) “State Register” means the State Register for Dentists or the State Register for
Dental Auxiliaries, as the case may be, maintained under any law for the time being in
force in any State or Union territory for registration of dentists or dental auxiliaries, as the
case may be;
(zb) “Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Dental Education Board” means the Board
constituted under section 16;
(zc) “University” shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (f) of
section 2 (3 of 1956) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 and includes a
health University.