{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-328.7","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-328.7","heading":"Board of Dentistry - Membership - Tenure - Nomination","body":"and election districts - Vacancies.\n\nA. Pursuant to Section 39 of Article V of the Oklahoma\n\nConstitution, there is hereby created the Board of Dentistry which\n\nshall be an agency of state government. The Board shall adopt a\n\nseal, sue and be sued in its own name, and implement and enforce the\n\nprovisions of the State Dental Act.\n\nB. 1. The Board shall consist of eight dentist members, one\n\ndental hygienist member and two members who shall represent the\n\npublic. One dentist member shall be elected by the dentists\n\nresiding in each of the eight geographical districts established by\n\nsubsection D of this section. The residence of the dentist members\n\nshall be determined by the primary location listed on the dentists'\n\nlicenses. The dental hygienist member shall be elected at-large by\n\nthe dental hygienists residing in this state who are legally\n\nlicensed to practice dental hygiene therein. The two public\n\nrepresentative members shall be appointed by the Governor, subject\n\nto confirmation by the Senate. No public representative member may\n\nbe a dentist, dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental laboratory\n\ntechnician, or holder of a permit to operate a dental laboratory, or\n\nbe related within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity to\n\nany such person.\n\n2. Before assuming duties on the Board, each member shall take\n\nand subscribe to the oath of office or affirmation provided in\n\nArticle XV of the Oklahoma Constitution, which oath or affirmation\n\nshall be administered and filed as provided in the Article.\n\n3. Each member of the Board shall hold office for a term of\n\nthree (3) years and until a successor in office is elected and\n\nqualified. Board members shall not serve for more than three (3)\n\nconsecutive terms. To be eligible to be elected to and serve on the\n\nBoard, a dentist or dental hygienist must have been licensed to\n\npractice in this state for at least five (5) years, and for the five\n\n(5) years prior to the date of counting the ballots, not have been\n\nsubject to a penalty imposed by the Board or another state board.\n\nC. 1. a. Nominations for dentist members of the Board shall be\n\nby petition signed by at least ten dentists residing\n\nin the district to be represented by the nominee.\n\nb. Nominations for the dental hygienist member of the\n\nBoard shall be by petition signed by at least ten\n\ndental hygienists residing in this state.\n\n2. The elections shall be by secret ballot. The ballots shall\n\nbe mailed by the Board to those entitled to vote at least thirty\n\n(30) days prior to the date of counting of the ballots and shall be\n\nreturned by mail to the office of the Board, then opened and counted\n\nat a meeting of the Board. In other respects, elections shall be\n\nconducted as provided by the rules of the Board.\n\n3. a. Only dentists residing in a district shall be entitled\n\nto vote to elect the Board member from that district.\n\nb. Only dental hygienists residing and licensed in this\n\nstate shall be entitled to vote to elect the dental\n\nhygienist Board member.\n\nD. For the purpose of nominating and electing dentist members\n\nof the Board, this state shall be divided into eight geographical\n\ndistricts, which shall consist of the following counties within the\n\nfollowing districts:\n\nDistrict No. 1: Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woods, Alfalfa,\n\nGrant, Kay, Ellis, Woodward, Major, Garfield, Noble, Dewey, Blaine,\n\nKingfisher and Logan.\n\nDistrict No. 2: Tulsa and Creek.\n\nDistrict No. 3: Roger Mills, Custer, Beckham, Washita, Harmon,\n\nGreer, Kiowa, Caddo, Jackson and Tillman.\n\nDistrict No. 4: Canadian, Grady, McClain, Comanche, Cotton,\n\nStephens, Jefferson, Garvin, Murray, Carter and Love.\n\nDistrict No. 5: Oklahoma.\n\nDistrict No. 6: Lincoln, Cleveland, Pottawatomie, Seminole,\n\nOkfuskee, Hughes, Pontotoc, Coal, Johnston, Marshall and Bryan.\nNo. 2: Tulsa and Creek.\n\nDistrict No. 3: Roger Mills, Custer, Beckham, Washita, Harmon,\n\nGreer, Kiowa, Caddo, Jackson and Tillman.\n\nDistrict No. 4: Canadian, Grady, McClain, Comanche, Cotton,\n\nStephens, Jefferson, Garvin, Murray, Carter and Love.\n\nDistrict No. 5: Oklahoma.\n\nDistrict No. 6: Lincoln, Cleveland, Pottawatomie, Seminole,\n\nOkfuskee, Hughes, Pontotoc, Coal, Johnston, Marshall and Bryan.\n\nDistrict No. 7: Mayes, Wagoner, Cherokee, Adair, Okmulgee,\n\nMuskogee, Sequoyah, McIntosh, Haskell, Pittsburg, Latimer, LeFlore,\n\nAtoka, Pushmataha, Choctaw and McCurtain.\n\nDistrict No. 8: Osage, Payne, Washington, Nowata, Craig, Ottawa,\n\nRogers, Delaware and Pawnee.\n\nE. 1. Dentist members of the Board may be recalled and removed\n\nfrom the Board in a special recall election to be conducted by the\n\nBoard upon receipt of a written recall petition signed by at least\n\ntwenty percent (20%) of the dentists residing in the district\n\nrepresented by the member who is the subject of the recall petition.\n\nOnly dentists residing in the affected district may vote in the\n\nspecial recall election.\n\n2. The dental hygienist member of the Board may be recalled and\n\nremoved from the Board in a special recall election to be conducted\n\nby the Board upon receipt of a written recall petition signed by at\n\nleast twenty percent (20%) of the licensed dental hygienists\n\nresiding in this state. Only dental hygienists residing and\n\nlicensed in this state shall be entitled to vote in the special\n\nrecall election.\n\n3. Special recall elections shall be by secret ballot. The\n\nballots shall be mailed by the Board to those entitled to vote at\n\nleast thirty (30) days prior to the date of counting the ballots and\n\nshall be returned by mail to the office of the Board, then opened\n\nand counted at a meeting of the Board. In other respects, special\n\nrecall elections shall be conducted as provided by the rules of the\n\nBoard. If a majority of the votes cast in the special recall\n\nelection are in favor of recalling the Board member, the member\n\nshall be removed from the Board effective on the date the results of\n\nthe special recall election are certified by the Board.\n\nF. 1. A vacancy among the dentist members of the Board shall\n\nbe filled by a special election in the district of the vacancy for\n\nthe unexpired term within sixty (60) days after the vacancy occurs.\n\n2. A vacancy of the dental hygienist member on the Board shall\n\nbe filled by a special election in this state for the unexpired term\n\nwithin sixty (60) days after the vacancy occurs.\n\n3. Nominations shall be made and special elections shall be\n\nconducted in the same manner as provided in subsection C of this\n\nsection. If no one is nominated within forty-five (45) days from\n\ndate of vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the\n\nBoard. A vacancy among the public representative members of the\n\nBoard shall be filled by appointment by the Governor, subject to\n\nconfirmation by the Senate.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"34d7ae5a09bf053217271fb83157d6361fd14dd59cc29914acf2386235dcc1d8","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-328.69","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-328.70"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}