The basic principles pertaining to professional incorporation, as set out in the Dental Act and Dental Regulations, are the following:

1. A dental practitioner cannot provide his or her services by or through a corporation unless it is a professional dental corporation registered and licensed with the Newfoundland Dental Board.
    
2. A professional dental corporation must be incorporated under the Corporations Act of Newfoundland.
    
3. The corporate name must indicate that the professional dental corporation is engaged in the practice of dentistry and shall not include information other than that permitted or required by the Regulations.
    
4. There cannot be any restriction on the right of each dental practitioner who is a shareholder to exercise his or her vote as he or she wishes to nor any restriction on the powers of the directors to manage the business and affairs of the corporation in relation to the practice of dentistry.
    
5. Dental practitioners remain, whether they practice dentistry in their personal capacity or through a professional dental corporation, personally liable for dental negligence.
    
6. Dental practitioners remain accountable to the Newfoundland Dental Board for their conduct, whether they practice dentistry in their personal capacity or through a professional dental corporation.
    
7. Dental practitioners have the same legal and ethical responsibilities to their patients, whether they practice dentistry in their personal capacity or through a professional dental corporation.
    
8. All directors of the professional dental corporation must be dental practitioners individually registered and licensed under the Dental Act.
    
9. All holders and beneficial owners of voting shares of a professional dental corporation must be individually registered and licensed under the Dental Act.
    
10. Dental practitioners who practice dentistry through a professional dental corporation must still be individually registered and licensed under the Dental Act.
     
11. Non-voting shares may only be owned by a natural person. Where the beneficial owner of non-voting shares is not a dental practitioner providing dental services through the corporation or is not in an apparent familial or personal (i.e. non-commercial) relationship with a dental practitioner providing dental services through the corporation, the Newfoundland Dental Board may inquire as to whether there is a commercial reason for such shareholding.
     
12. Applicants should refer to the Dental Act and the Professional Dental Corporations Regulations for further details.
     
13. An application form for licensure as a professional dental corporation must be completed and submitted to the Newfoundland Dental Board.
     
14. Any changes from the last filed application for corporate license, application for renewal of corporate license, or Notice of Change must be disclosed to the Newfoundland Dental Board by filing a Notice of Change within 15 days of change.
     
15. An application for renewal of licensure as a professional dental corporation must be completed annually and returned to the Newfoundland Dental Board.
     
16. Applications for licensure as a professional dental corporation, application for renewal of corporate licensure, and notice of change must be sworn to by each dental practitioner who is a director or a shareholder of the professional dental corporation.
     
17. Professional Dental Corporations must limit their activities to the provision of dental services.
     
18. In the first year of registration, a professional dental corporation must pay the registration fee of $300.00 and the annual fee of $100.00. The fee for each year thereafter will be $100.00. The fee for filing a notice of change will be $100.00. All fees are subject to change from time to time as determined by the Newfoundland Dental Board.
     
19. The Newfoundland Dental Board recommends that dental practitioners obtain and review the application form, the notice of change form, and the instructions from the Newfoundland Dental Board prior to incorporation of an intended professional dental corporation under the Corporations Act of Newfoundland. The forms and instructions are available from the Newfoundland Dental Board.