On September 28 the Iowa Dental Board voted on proposed amendments to Iowa Administrative Code 520-Chapter 28 “Advertising,” and “Designation of Specialty.” The Board voted unanimously to adopt the amendments to the specialty advertising regulations, which was the desired result, especially since previously the Iowa Dental Board had considered removing its specialty advertising regulations altogether.
The Board’s vote marked the final chapter of the AAO’s work in the state on the specialty advertising issue. Thanks to the AAO’s Component Legal Support Fund, the AAO has worked with the Iowa Dental Board since 2017 to revise, rather than remove, Iowa’s specialty advertising laws.
AAO Attorney Sean Murphy attended the September 28 meeting with Dr. Marc Welge and Dr. Tom Stark. Both Mr. Murphy and Dr. Stark provided comments to the Board in favor of Iowa retaining its specialty advertising laws. The AAO’s and Iowa orthodontists’ long-term efforts paid off as the Board voted in favor of retaining Iowa’s specialty advertising laws.
The AAO Component Legal Support Fund, established by a vote of the 2015 House of Delegates, provides grants to component organizations to assist with state legal and legislative issues that impact orthodontic practices. To date, the CLSF is assisting over 20 components with their issues, which primarily involve specialty advertising.
Please note, every orthodontist (as a citizen of and licensed dental provider in his or her state) and orthodontic patient has the right, independently and individually, to express his or her opinion on any dental issue to his or her state dental board and elected officials. If you feel so compelled, you may contact your state’s dental board. Contact information for state dental boards can be found by clicking here.
