I would like to take this opportunity to first of all thank my fellow colleagues for electing me to serve on the Board of Dental Examiners. During my 37 years in private practice, I always tried to provide the utmost service to my patients. Since serving on the State Board, I have learned that my service to the citizens of West Virginia takes on a different meaning and my scope of understanding has to be broader. All the present Board members have served on the Board three or more years. We have studied, learned and grown together the past three years. All examining members on the Board also serve as examiners on the Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners, which causes us to give licensure examinations in 15 states. In August, Board member Dr. John Dixon had a meeting with the Southeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners. Last month, Board member Dr. Thomas Wilkerson and myself attended a meeting for State Licensing Boards in Charleston with the State Auditor's Office. On November 1, 2001, Board members Mrs. Dina Vaughan, Dr. George Conard and myself will be in Washington DC attending an important Steering committee meeting with NERB. Early next year, Dr. John Dixon and Dr. Richard Marshall will have another meeting with SRTA. It is through attendance at these meetings that we are able to discuss issues and solutions that are common with other states. In addition, the Board has been extremely busy with meetings, hearings, investigations, law exams, interviews and preparation for the 2001 licensure examinations.

I applaud this Board for realizing three years ago that if we were to be of service to our profession and the citizens of West Virginia we would have to change and update the way dentistry and dental hygiene was practiced and governed in West Virginia. After much study and debate and three years later, a new Dental Practice Act was passed into law. Along with our other necessary functions, the Board then turned its efforts to modernizing the dental office auxiliary duties. To aid in our discussions with dentists and hygienists from other states, we asked for input from the West Virginia Dental Association, West Virginia Dental Hygienist's Association and the West Virginia Dental Assistants' Association. This will supplement information we each receive by talking to Board members of other states and the correspondence we receive from other states. We received considerable input from last month's public hearing held in Beckley. The Board is reviewing all this information so that it can aid the dental profession in providing service to the citizens of West Virginia in an up to date manner so as to bring dentistry in West Virginia into the 21st century. As President, I intend to carry this through.

Regulating the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene is the Board's utmost concern. Let there be no mistake that whatever is passed into law, this Board will enforce and render disciplinary action when necessary. Any office practicing outside the parameters of the law will be doing so at a risk.

You deserve a modern profession and the citizens of West Virginia deserve professional modern oral health care.

All the Board members thank you for the opportunity to serve on your Board.

Sincerely yours,

Bernard J. Grubler, DDS, President

DENTAL HYGIENE

Total Active Licenses 1,432 1,167

Total Retired Licenses 157 96

Total Practicing In State 814 637

Effective June 1, 2001 annual license renewal fees for dentists are $125.00.

The current continuing education period started February 1, 2000 and will end January 31, 2002. During this time period Dentists must obtain 20 hours including 3 hours of infection control. Hygienists must obtain 12 hours including 3 hours of infection control.

These hours are to be reported to this office no later than Wednesday, March 15, 2002 on the form supplied to you with your license renewal forms.

You are exempt from this period if you graduated from Dental or Dental Hygiene school within one year prior to February 1, 2000 or during this period.

You are also exempt from continuing education reporting if you are RETIRED after 25 years of practice in the State of West Virginia and do not pay a license fee.

Please do not send copies of certificates only the completed form supplied to you for reporting your continuing education hours.

You are required by regulations to maintain and compile accurate records relating to all continuing education courses that are successfully completed. These records and information must be maintained for a period of six years.

The West Virginia Board of Dental Examiners shall randomly audit the continuing education records maintained by each dentist and dental hygienist.

If you have not completed the continuing education hours that are required of you please contact this office immediately.

As of October 15, 2001 the West Virginia Board of Dental Examiners has a web site. Our web address is www.wvdentalboard.org. You can log on to obtain application forms, the dental practice act and regulations. You may also view the names of our Board members, staff and calendar of scheduled meetings. There may be other additions to our site in the future.

Dr. Steven B. Nicholas - Consent Decree - Violation of Chapter 30, Article 4 by issuing excessive amounts of prescriptive medications to a person who was not a patient of his - fined $5,000 - assessed costs $1,000

Dr. William C. Deitz - Consent Decree - Violation of Chapter 30, Article 4 by allowing his dental assistant to permanently cement crowns and seat a partial denture - fined $5,000 - assessed costs $1,000

Dr. Charles T. Withers - Consent Decree - voluntary permanent retirement

Dr. Tony K. Virgin - Consent Decree - Violation of Chapter 30, Article 4 by calling attention to a specialty field without being a licensed specialist - fined $2,000 - assessed costs $1,000

Dr. Alan K. Vance - Consent Decree - Violation of Chapter 30, Article 4 by negligent endodontic misconduct in the practice of dentistry on a patient - fined $1,000 - assessed costs $500 - restitution $3,500

Dr. Andrei Rudic - Consent Decree - Violation of Chapter 30, Article 4 by negligence in the practice of dentistry by abandonment of a patient due to office problems - fined $1,000 - assessed costs $2,000

The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy has asked that we publish the following information concerning the Uniform Controlled Substance Act.

15 CSR 2, Rule of the Board of Pharmacy for the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, was replaced this legislative session with a new rule that went into effect on May 1, 2001. Section 7 of the rule governs the issuance, filling and filing of prescriptions and therefore affects your prescriptive practices. Of particular importance are the following requirements:

1. Each controlled substance prescription must be written on a separate blank and no non-controlled substance can be ordered on a blank with a controlled substance. No more than one controlled substance can be written per prescription blank. This rule applies to outpatient prescriptions only and exempts prescriptions written for patients of an institutional facility.

2. Every controlled substance prescription must have the name of the practitioner stamped, typed, or printed legibly on the face of the prescription.

3. If a pharmacist receives a prescription that does not conform to the rule, then the pharmacist must refuse to fill it unless the pharmacist determines in their professional judgement the immediate necessity for the patient to receive their medication. In that case, the pharmacist must contact the prescriber as soon as possible to inform them that the prescription was not written according to law. If the pharmacist continues to receive prescriptions from the same practitioner that do not comply with the law, then the pharmacist shall inform the Board of Pharmacy who will file a formal complaint with that practitioner's licensing board.

If you have any questions you may call the Board of Pharmacy at (304) 558-0558.

According to a recent FDA Public Health Notification, you , as a dental health professional, may be inadvertently exposing yourself to harmful lead contamination. The culprit is an innocent-looking "shoe-box sized" wooden box. Check your storage. If you have, in the past, or currently store dental films in a wooden box, that box may be lined with lead that has not been painted or coated, thus causing harmful lead contamination.

Dental films stored in such boxes have been found to be coated with a whitish film that is about 80% lead. In many cases, there are highly dangerous levels of lead on the films, enough to potentially cause serious adverse health effects in patients and health care professionals. Some of the adverse effects include anemia and serious neurological damage.

If you have one of these boxes the FDA advises you to do the following:

• Discard any dental film that has been put in these boxes. None of that film should be used. Wiping the film does not significantly reduce the lead levels.

• Remove these boxes and dispose of them properly. THE OLD BOXES CANNOT BE MADE SAFE by painting, coating or lining them. Scrap lead should be discarded according to EPA regulations. You may call the EPA's RCRA hotline at 1-800-424-9346 and speak to a representative to find your State's lead disposal requirements.

• Make it a practice to store your dental film according to the manufacturer's instructions.

More information concerning the lead lined table top containers can be found on the web at www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/leadcontainer.html. More information about public health concerns related to lead can be obtained on the web at www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/lead/index.html.

All of the FDA medical device postmark safety notifications can be found at www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety.html.

Your license renewal notices are mailed to addresses that are on file with the Board office. Please remember when you move to report your new address to the Board within 30 days.

If your address is not updated with the Board office and you forget to renew your license by May 1 each year, your license will be canceled possibly causing you to be practicing illegally.

The Subcommittee for General Anesthesia and Parenteral Conscious sedation would like to know if you use oral sedation. The committee has asked the Board to add the question that is located at the bottom of each licensed dentists renewal forms concerning the use of combination inhalation-enteral conscious sedation.

It would be appreciated if you would answer by circling yes or no whenever filling out your renewal form this year. Currently a permit is not required for the use of oral sedation.