South Carolina: Stop Dentists from Injecting Botox
The South Carolina Board of Dentistry released a proposal that would allow dentists to inject botulinum toxin neuromodulators. This proposal was the result of a December 2017 joint statement from the state's boards of medicine, dentistry, and nursing that stipulated that physicians, dentists and nurses are all permitted to inject botulinum toxin neuromodulators.
In response to this latest scope expansion effort, ASPS collaborated with the South Carolina Society of Plastic Surgeons (SCSPS) and drafted comments that firmly oppose the dental board's attempted scope creep. Along with the letter, ASPS included the Society's policy statement on the administration of botulinum toxin neuromodulators, which goes into great detail on the background of injecting these substances and other similar therapies. Furthermore, the statement expressly calls for only a physician, or a trained medical professional designated by a physician, to administer the injections and assess post-treatment effects.
The Board of Dentistry has not released a final rule regarding this proposal.