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Dentists Registration (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 47/1975

Read the first time on 11th November 1975.

An Act to amend the Dentists Registration Act (Chapter 215 of the Revised Edition).

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows: —

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Dentists Registration (Amendment) Act, 1975, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette appoint.

New section 1A

2. The Dentists Registration Act (hereinafter in this Act referred to as “the principal Act”) is hereby amended by inserting immediately after section 1 thereof the following section: —

“Interpretation

1A. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“dental therapist” means a person who has successfully completed a course in dental therapy conducted by the Ministry of Health in Singapore;

“registered dentist” means a person who is registered as a dentist under this Act.”.

Amendment of section 2

3. Section 2 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

(a)

by deleting paragraph (a) of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —

“(a)	the Assistant Director of Medical Services (Dental);”;

(b)

by deleting paragraph (c) of subsection (1) thereof;

(c)

by deleting the word “two” appearing in paragraph (d) of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the word “four”;

(d)

by deleting the words “nominated by the Singapore Dental Association” appearing in paragraph (f) of subsection (1) thereof;

(e)

by deleting paragraph (g) of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —

“(g)	a dentist registered in the second division of the register and practising in Singapore to be appointed by the Minister.”; and

(f)

by deleting the expression “Director of Medical Services, Singapore,” appearing in the first line of subsection (3) thereof and substituting therefor the expression “Assistant Director of Medical Services (Dental)”.

Amendment of section 3

4. Section 3 of the principal Act is hereby amended by deleting the expression “Director of Medical Services, Singapore,” appearing in subsection (2) thereof and substituting therefor the expression “Assistant Director of Medical Services (Dental)”.

Amendment of section 5

5. Section 5 of the principal Act is hereby repealed and the following substituted therefor:

“Qualifications necessary for registration

5.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the following persons shall be entitled to be registered under this Act:

(a)

any person who holds the degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery of the University of Singapore;

(b)

any person who holds any other degree, diploma or licence in Dentistry which was granted by any university, corporation, college or other body outside Singapore, included in the Schedule to this Act;

(c)

any person who holds any other degree, diploma or licence granted by any university, corporation, college or other body outside Singapore which is not included in the Schedule to this Act whom the Minister may, after consulting the Board, by order declare to be entitled to be registered under this Act, subject to such conditions and restrictions as may be prescribed in such order;

(d)

any person who is resident in Singapore temporarily for the purposes of teaching, research or postgraduate study in an institution accepted for that purpose by the Board and who possesses qualifications in dentistry which in the opinion of the Board are adequate:

Provided that such person is exclusively employed in teaching, research, or postgraduate study and that his registration shall be cancelled forthwith if he engages in any form of private practice;

(e)

a dental therapist who has not less than ten years’ practical experience in dentistry recognized by the Board and who has passed such further examinations as may be prescribed; or

(f)

any person not falling within any of the preceding paragraphs who, immediately before the date of the commencement of the Dentists Registration (Amendment) Act, 1975, is a registered dentist whose registration has not been cancelled.

(2) Before advising the Minister under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this section the Board may satisfy itself, by such evidence as it may require, that the person holds a degree, diploma or licence in dentistry that is not lower in standard than that required of a person who holds a degree in dental surgery of the University of Singapore and, if the Board is not so satisfied, it may require the person to undergo and to pass an examination conducted or arranged by the Board.

(3) The Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, after consulting the Board, vary or amend the Schedule to this Act.”.

Amendment of section 8

6. Section 8 of the principal Act is hereby amended by inserting immediately after subsection (2) thereof the following subsection: —

“(3) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section —

(a)	where a person uses any dental instrument or material which is used in the practice of dentistry, he shall be deemed, unless the contrary is proved, to practise dentistry; and
(b)	where a person has in his possession any one or more of the following instruments or equipment, that is to say, a dental chair, a dental spittoon, a dental engine, a dental syringe or a dental forceps, he shall be deemed unless the contrary is proved, to practise dentistry.”.

Repeal and re-enactment of section 9

7. Section 9 of the principal Act is hereby repealed and the following substituted therefor: —

“Privileges of registered person

9.—(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of section 5 of this Act, a person registered under the provisions of this Act shall be entitled to practise dentistry in Singapore.

(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, the Board may make regulations prohibiting a person registered by virtue of paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section 5 of this Act from performing such procedures as may be prescribed.”.

Repeal of section 11

8. Section 11 of the principal Act is hereby repealed.

Amendment of section 12

9. Section 12 of the principal Act is hereby amended by deleting the word “December” appearing in the third line of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the word “November”.

New section 13A

10. The principal Act is hereby amended by inserting immediately after section 13 thereof the following section: —

“Certificate of Registrar

13A. A certificate purporting to be under the hand of the Registrar to the effect that at any time or during any period specified in the certificate any person was or was not registered as a dentist under this Act, or as to any entry in the register, or the removal from the register of any entry, shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, and without further proof of the signature appended to the certificate, be sufficient evidence of the matters specified therein.”.

Amendment of section 15

12. Section 15 of the principal Act is hereby amended by deleting the words “the United Kingdom or of any other” appearing in the second and third lines of paragraph (e) of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the word “any”.

Amendment of section 17

13. Section 17 of the principal Act is hereby amended by deleting the expression “(d) or (e)” appearing in the sixth line of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the expression “(f)”.

Amendment of section 18

14. Section 18 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

(a)

by deleting paragraph (a) of subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —

“(a)	the Assistant Director of Medical Services (Dental);”;

(b)

by deleting the expression “Director of Medical Services, Singapore,” appearing in the third and fourth lines of subsection (3) thereof and substituting therefor the expression “Assistant Director of Medical Services (Dental)”; and

(c)

by deleting subsections (4) and (5) thereof.

Amendment of section 22

15. Section 22 of the principal Act is hereby amended by deleting the expression “on qualifications other than those set out in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c)” appearing in the second and third lines thereof and substituting therefor the expression “by virtue of paragraphs (e) and (f)”.

Amendment of section 23

16. Section 23 of the principal Act is hereby amended by inserting immediately after subsection (2) thereof the following subsection: —

“(2A) Any registered dentist who practices dentistry in any premises in which an unregistered person practises dentistry shall, unless he proves that he did not know that the unregistered person was practising dentistry in those premises, be guilty of an offence against this Act.”.

Repeal and re-enactment of section 25

17. Section 25 of the principal Act is hereby repealed and the following substituted therefor: —

“General penalty

25. Any person guilty of an offence against this Act for which no specific penalty is provided shall be liable on conviction —

(a)	in respect of a first offence, to a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars; and
(b)	in respect of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both.”.

Amendment of section 27

18. Section 27 of the principal Act is hereby amended by deleting subsection (3) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —

“(3) Dentists in the public service and in the University of Singapore are hereby exempted from the provisions of section 12 and 17 of this Act.”.