Texas U.S. District Court sides with AAID on specialization lawsuit

Dentists across the state of Texas won the right to let patients know their practice specialty as a result of a decision by the United States District Court last week. Judge Sam Sparks ruled that a Texas administrative regulation that restricted specialties in Texas to only those recognized by the American Dental Association was unconstitutional. He enjoined the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners from enforcing Section 108.54 of the Texas Administrative Code.
Jan. 26, 2016
3 min read
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Dentists across the state of Texas won the right to let patients know their practice specialty as a result of a decision by the United States District Court last week. Judge Sam Sparks ruled that a Texas administrative regulation that restricted specialties in Texas to only those recognized by the American Dental Association was unconstitutional. He enjoined the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners from enforcing Section 108.54 of the Texas Administrative Code. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), along with three other dental organizations and five individual Texas dentists, filed suit challenging the regulation. As a result of the decision, dentists who have earned board certification from the Certifying Boards sponsored by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and the other plaintiff organizations may now advertise that they are specialists in the state of Texas.ADDITIONAL READING |United States District Court ruling sets stage for expansion of 'dental specialties', practitioner independence from ADA restrictions
Richardmercurio
Richard Mercurio, DDS, FAAID, DABOI/ID, president of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry

"This is a great victory for patients throughout the state of Texas. They now can have more information available to them to help them decide who to use for their dental needs," said Dr. Richard Mercurio, president of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. "No longer will patients need to guess whether a dentist who is trained in treating gum disease or extracting teeth is also experienced in the complex and comprehensive field of implant placement and restoration. Patients will now be able to seek out specialists in implant dentistry, such as those certified by AAID's Certifying Board, the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry," he pointed out.

Agreeing with the AAID that advertising a dentist's expertise is protected commercial free speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Judge Sparks noted that ". . . the public would hardly feel misled if a licensed AAID diplomate advertised as a 'specialist' in implant dentistry and then later discovered the AAID was technically not a 'specialty' under Texas law because it had not achieved specialty status according to the ADA."

He noted that it appears that ". . . the true purpose [of the Texas Regulation] is to protect the entrenched economic interests of organizations and dentists in ADA-recognized specialty areas."

Frankrecker
Frank Recker, DDS, JD, general counsel for the American Academy of Implant Dentistry
According to Frank Recker, DDS, JD, AAID's general counsel, "This continues a string of state and federal court decisions that support the proposition that non-ADA recognized specialties in fact do exist, are bona fide, and dentists board-certified in those fields—such as implant dentistry—may inform the public of their specialization."MORE FROM THE AAID |American Academy of Implant Dentistry elects new officers
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Established in 1951, the AAID is the first organization in implant dentistry and the only one that offers credentials recognized by state and federal courts as being bona fide. Its membership, which exceeds 5,000, includes general dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists, and prosthodontists from across the United States and in more than 60 other countries. For more information about the AAID and its credentialed members, please visit www.aaid.com, www.aaid-implant.org, or call (312) 335-1550. For more information about the lawsuit and the decision, please contact Dr. Frank Recker directly at [email protected] or (800) 224-3529.

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