{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-725.2","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-725.2","heading":"Designations to be used and by whom","body":"A. The following ten classes of persons may use the word\n\n\"Doctor\", or an abbreviation thereof, and shall have the right to\n\nuse, whether or not in conjunction with the word \"Doctor\", or any\n\nabbreviation thereof, the following designations:\n\n1. The letters \"D.P.M.\" or the words podiatrist, doctor of\n\npodiatry, podiatric surgeon, or doctor of podiatric medicine by a\n\nperson licensed to practice podiatry under the Podiatric Medicine\n\nPractice Act;\n\n2. The letters \"D.C.\" or the words chiropractor or doctor of\n\nchiropractic by a person licensed to practice chiropractic under the\n\nOklahoma Chiropractic Practice Act;\n\n3. The letters \"D.D.S.\" or \"D.M.D.\", as appropriate, or the\n\nwords dentist, doctor of dental surgery, or doctor of dental\n\nmedicine, as appropriate, by a person licensed to practice dentistry\n\nunder the State Dental Act;\n\n4. The letters \"M.D.\" or the words surgeon, medical doctor, or\n\ndoctor of medicine by a person licensed to practice medicine and\n\nsurgery under the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and Surgical Licensure\n\nand Supervision Act;\n\n5. The letters \"O.D.\" or the words optometrist or doctor of\n\noptometry by a person licensed to practice optometry under Sections\n\n581 through 606 of this title;\n\n6. The letters \"D.O.\" or the words surgeon, osteopathic\n\nsurgeon, osteopath, doctor of osteopathy, or doctor of osteopathic\n\nmedicine by a person licensed to practice osteopathy under the\n\nOklahoma Osteopathic Medicine Act;\n\n7. The letters \"Ph.D.\", \"Ed.D.\", or \"Psy.D.\" or the words\n\npsychologist, therapist, or counselor by a person licensed as a\n\nhealth service psychologist pursuant to the Psychologists Licensing\n\nAct;\n\n8. The letters \"Ph.D.\", \"Ed.D.\", or other letters representing\n\na doctoral degree or the words language pathologist, speech\n\npathologist, or speech and language pathologist by a person licensed\n\nas a speech and language pathologist pursuant to the Speech-Language\n\nPathology and Audiology Licensing Act and who has earned a doctoral\n\ndegree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning\n\nin the field of speech and language pathology;\n\n9. The letters \"Ph.D.\", \"Ed.D.\", or other letters representing\n\na doctoral degree or the word audiologist by a person licensed as an\n\naudiologist pursuant to the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology\n\nLicensing Act and who has earned a doctoral degree from a regionally\n\naccredited institution of higher learning in the field of audiology;\n\nand\n\n10. The letters \"D.P.T.\" or the title Doctor of Physical\n\nTherapy by a person licensed to practice physical therapy under the\n\nPhysical Therapy Practice Act who has earned a Doctor of Physical\n\nTherapy degree from a program approved by a national accrediting\n\nbody recognized by the State Board of Medical Licensure and\n\nSupervision.\n\nB. Unless otherwise specifically provided in a particular\n\nsection or chapter of the Oklahoma Statutes, the word \"doctor\" or\n\n\"doctors\" shall mean and include each of the ten classes of persons\n\nlisted in subsection A and the word \"physician\" or \"physicians\", as\n\nprovided in subsection C of this section. Any other person using\n\nthe term doctor, or any abbreviation thereof, shall designate the\n\nauthority under which the title is used or the college or honorary\n\ndegree that gives rise to use of the title.\n\nC. Unless otherwise specifically provided in a particular\n\nsection or chapter of the Oklahoma Statutes, the word \"physician\" or\n\n\"physicians\" shall mean and include each of the classes of persons\n\nlisted in paragraphs 1 through 6 of subsection A of this section and\n\nthe word \"doctor\" or \"doctors\" as provided in subsection B of this\n\nsection. The term \"physician\" shall not include any person\n\nspecified in paragraphs 7 through 10 of subsection A of this section\n\nunless such person is otherwise authorized to use such designation\n\npursuant to this section.\n\nD. For purposes of this section, \"provider\" means and includes:\nough 6 of subsection A of this section and\n\nthe word \"doctor\" or \"doctors\" as provided in subsection B of this\n\nsection. The term \"physician\" shall not include any person\n\nspecified in paragraphs 7 through 10 of subsection A of this section\n\nunless such person is otherwise authorized to use such designation\n\npursuant to this section.\n\nD. For purposes of this section, \"provider\" means and includes:\n\nl. Each of the ten classes of persons listed in subsection A of\n\nthis section and referred to in subsections B and C of this section;\n\nand\n\n2. Any other person using the term doctor or any abbreviation\n\nthereof.\n\nE. Persons in each of the ten classes listed in subsection A of\n\nthis section, and referred to in subsections B and C of this section\n\nshall identify through written notice, which may include the wearing\n\nof a name tag, the type of license under which the doctor is\n\npracticing, utilizing the designations provided in subsections A, B\n\nand C of this section. Each applicable licensing board is\n\nauthorized by rule to determine how its license holders may comply\n\nwith this disclosure requirement.\n\nF. 1. Any advertisement for health care services naming a\n\nprovider shall:\n\na. identify the type of license of the doctor utilizing\n\nthe letters or words set forth in this section if the\n\nperson is one of the classes of persons listed in\n\nsubsection A of this section, and referred to in\n\nsubsections B and C of this section, or\n\nb. utilize appropriate, accepted, and easily understood\n\nwords or letters, which clearly show and indicate the\n\nbranch of the healing art in which the person is\n\nlicensed to practice and is engaged in, if the person\n\nis not one of the ten classes of persons listed in\n\nsubsection A of this section, or referred to in\n\nsubsections B and C of this section.\n\n2. The term \"advertisement\" includes any printed document\n\nincluding letterhead, video clip, or audio clip created by, for, or\n\nat the direction of the provider or providers and advertised for the\n\npurpose of promoting the services of the doctor or provider.\n\nG. 1. It shall be unlawful for any medical doctor, doctor of\n\nosteopathic medicine, doctor of dental surgery, doctor of dental\n\nmedicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of podiatry, or doctor of\n\nchiropractic to make any deceptive or misleading statement, or\n\nengage in any deceptive or misleading act, that deceives or misleads\n\nthe public or a prospective or current patient, regarding the\n\ntraining and the license under which the person is authorized to\n\npractice.\n\n2. The term \"deceptive or misleading statement or act\"\n\nincludes, but is not limited to:\n\na. such statement or act in any advertising medium,\n\nb. making a false statement regarding the education,\n\nskills, training, or licensure of a person, or\n\nc. in any other way describing the profession, skills,\n\ntraining, expertise, education, or licensure of a\n\nperson in a fashion that causes the public, a\n\npotential patient, or current patient to believe that\n\nthe person is a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathic\n\nmedicine, doctor of dental surgery, doctor of dental\n\nmedicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of podiatry, or\n\ndoctor of chiropractic when that person does not hold\n\nsuch credentials.\n\nH. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a\n\nperson licensed in this state to perform speech pathology or\n\naudiology services is designated to be a practitioner of the healing\n\nart for purposes of making a referral for speech pathology or\n\naudiology services pursuant to the provisions of the Individuals\n\nwith Disabilities Education Act, Amendment of 1997, Public Law 105-\n\n17, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.","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":"048a753f92bad6be41dd046d7a81924b8df1a93d03eda96db1fad96c748c85b3","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-725.1","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-725.3"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}