The Philippine Dental Act of 2007

A seven-man Legislation Committee with proven leadership capabilities were appointed last July 6, 2004 to review the proposed amendments to  

the “Philippine Dental Act of 1965” and the passage of a revised and new Dental Act. The committee headed by Dr. Diampo J. Lim (former Dean UE College of Dentistry & PDA Past President) has six members namely:

1)    Dr. Aurelio B. Ramos, Jr. - former Dean UP College of Dentistry & Past Chairman of the Board of Dentistry.

2)    Dr. Victor Valdez- Past Speaker PDA House of Delegates

3)    Dr. Primo E. Gonzales- Former Chairman Board of Dentistry & PDA Past President.

4)    Dr. Antonio A. Baldemor- Former Chairman Board of Dentistry.

5)    Dr. Norman R. Songco- Chairman 100 years of Philippine Dentistry

6)    Dr. Hermogenes Villareal- PDA Past President

The Dental Act of 1965 has been in force for more than four decades and certainly amendments are imperative to update and upgrade its provisions to make it conform with present day realities and standards, and to keep pace with current developments and activities of the profession and its allied disciplines.

Fortunately, a new and entirely revised Dental Act, was passed and approved during the Third Special Session of the Thirteenth Congress of the Philippines and signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on June 02,2007, as Republic Act No.9484, and shall be known as the Philippine Dental Act of 2007.

R.A. No.9484, is now in force and operation, and repeals R.A.No.4419, known as the Philippine Dental Act of 1965, and R.A. No.768 or the Philippine Dental Hygienists Law. The new Dental Act provides for the regulation, control, and supervision of the practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental technology in the Philippines. This includes the giving of their respective licensure examinations for the purpose of registration, the accreditation of various specialties of dentistry, and promotion and development of continuing dental education and research in the country, and the enforcement of the Code of Ethics and Code of Dental Practice in the Philippines.

In lieu of the erstwhile Board of Dental Examiners, renamed the Board of Dentistry, the new law created a Professional Regulatory Board of Dentistry under the administrative control and supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), composed of a chairman and four members who shall be appointed by the President. The Board shall be vested with all the powers and functions necessary to carry out objectives of this present law.

The penal provision for violation of this act, stipulates a fine of not less than two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000) nor more than five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000) or to suffer the imprisonment for a period of not less than two years and one day nor more than five years, or both, in the discretion of the court.

Over the years of eager waiting, at last through the untiring efforts of the Philippine Dental Association and with the cooperation of the Congress of the Philippines, we finally realized to have a dental act with its provisions more attuned to the prevailing state of the current times, now in force and effects.