Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-122 (2026)

Ownership and operation of offices by unlicensed persons or by corporations. Penalty. Exception

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) No person, except a licensed and registered dentist, and no corporation, except a professional service corporation organized and existing under chapter 594a for the purpose of rendering professional dental services, and no institution shall own or operate a dental office, or an office, laboratory or operation or consultation room in which dental medicine, dental surgery or dental hygiene is carried on as a portion of its regular business; but the provisions of this section do not apply to hospitals, community health centers, public or parochial schools, or convalescent homes, or institutions under control of an agency of the state of Connecticut, or the state or municipal board of health, or a municipal board of education; or those educational institutions treating their students, or to industrial institutions or corporations rendering treatment to their employees on a nonprofit basis, provided permission for such treatment has been granted by the State Dental Commission. Such permission may be revoked for cause after hearing by said commission.

(b) Any licensed practitioner who provides dental services in a dental office or other location in violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to disciplinary action under sections 19a-17 and 20-114.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section or chapter 594a, a professional service corporation whose capital stock is held by or under the control of a personal representative or the estate of a deceased or incompetent dentist may operate a dental office or other location for the purpose of rendering professional dental services for a reasonable period of time, not to exceed eighteen months from the date of the dentist's death or the date the dentist is lawfully determined to be incompetent, whichever is applicable.

(1949 Rev., S. 4444, 4445; P.A. 73-206, S. 1; P.A. 87-139, S. 2; P.A. 92-35, S. 7; P.A. 05-272, S. 20.)

History: P.A. 73-206 added exception re professional service corporations in prohibition concerning ownership of dentistry concern, deleted exception for Hartford dispensary and exempted convalescent homes where dentist provided care directly for patient rather than for home; P.A. 87-139 deleted requirement that dentist provide care directly for patient rather than home for exemption of convalescent home from the requirements of this section; P.A. 92-35 added community health centers to list of exclusions from the section; P.A. 05-272 designated existing language as Subsec. (a), made technical changes in Subsec. (a), added Subsec. (b) to subject practitioners who violate provisions of Subsec. (a) to disciplinary action and added Subsec. (c) to allow certain professional service corporations whose capital stock is held by or under the control of a personal representative or the estate of a deceased or incompetent dentist to operate a dental office or other location for the purpose or rendering professional dental services for a reasonable and limited period of time, effective July 13, 2005.

Where plaintiff is charged with violating section by practicing dentistry in office operating under trade name, court could not read into section anything from which violation under charge preferred could be found. 149 C. 265. Cited. 150 C. 300.

Based on the plain language of statute, language of Sec. 33-182g and the statutory scheme governing Probate Court, section cannot be interpreted to impose a reasonable time limit within which administrator of an estate must cease owning and operating a dental practice. 84 CA 639.

Cited. 21 CS 332.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1962–2006 · leading case: Obuchowski v. Dental Comm'n, 178 A.2d 537 (Conn. 1962).
Obuchowski v. Dental Comm'n, 178 A.2d 537 (Conn. 1962). · cites it 8× “General Statutes § 20-122 restricts the ownership and operation of dental offices, laboratories and other dental facilities in which dentistry is practiced to individual licensed dentists except in the case of hospitals, schools, and certain governmental institutions and…”
OCA v. Christie, 415 F. Supp. 2d 115 (D. Conn. 2006). · cites it 9× “Conn. Gen.Stat. § 20-122. Under Section 20-123 of this same statute, any person “who owns or carries on a dental practice or business .”
MacK v. Saars, 188 A.2d 863 (Conn. 1963). · cites it 2× “The proposed legislation alerted *300 the legislature to the possibility that optometrists might be employed to operate an optometrical office owned by another person who would employ the optometrists for that purpose.”
Mendlinger v. State Dental Comm'n, 854 A.2d 1095 (Conn. App. Ct. 2004). · cites it 24× “On appeal, the plaintiff claims that the court improperly concluded that she, as executrix of the estate of a deceased dentist, violated General Statutes § 20-122 by continuing to own and operate the professional corporation.”
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