Subsection 3: Duties of dental surgeons in relation to social medicine.

It is the duty of every dental surgeon to assist in measures taken to ensure the continuity of care and the protection of health. Participation in on-call duty is compulsory. However, exemptions may be granted by the Conseil Départemental de l’Ordre, taking into account the age, state of health and, possibly, specialisation of the practitioner.

The existence of a third party guarantor, such as public or private insurance or assistance, must not lead the dental surgeon to depart from the provisions of article R. 4127-238.

The regular practice of the dental profession, in any form whatsoever, in the service of a company, local authority or institution governed by private law must, in all cases, be the subject of a written contract. Any draft agreement or renewal of an agreement with one of the bodies provided for in the previous paragraph with a view to the practice of the dental profession must first be submitted for…

Dental surgeons are obliged to inform the Conseil national de l’ordre, via the Conseil départemental, of any contracts entered into between them and a public administration or an administrative body. Any observations that the National Council may have to make are sent by it to the Minister responsible for the administration concerned.

In the event of salaried practice, the remuneration of the dental surgeon may not be based on standards of productivity and performance which would be likely to be detrimental to the quality of care and undermine the professional independence of the practitioner. The Association Council will ensure that the provisions of the contract comply with the principles laid down by law and the present Code of Ethics.

Except in emergencies, and subject to the legislative or regulatory provisions relating to occupational medical and social services, any dental surgeon who carries out a preventive dental service on behalf of a community is not entitled to provide curative care. He must refer the person he has recognised as ill to the attending dental surgeon or, if the patient does not have one, leave him free to choose one. This…

A dental surgeon who, while practising his profession, practises preventive dentistry in a community or provides a public screening consultation is prohibited from using this function to increase his private clientele.

Except in emergencies, no one may be both a dental surgeon in charge of a control mission and a treating dental surgeon for the same patient. This prohibition extends to members of the patient’s family living with him or her.

The supervising dental surgeon must not interfere with the treatment. However, if in the course of an examination he finds himself in disagreement with his colleague or if an element useful to the conduct of the treatment has been brought to his attention, he must inform him of this confidentially.

The controlling dental surgeon must make it known to the patient under his control that he is examining him as a controlling dental surgeon. He must be very circumspect in what he says and refrain from making any comments to the patient.