Examination by committee.

A. The examining committee assigned to examine a licensee pursuant to referral by the board shall conduct an examination of the licensee for the purpose of determining the fitness of the licensee to practice dentistry or dental hygiene with reasonable skill and safety to patients, either on a restricted or unrestricted basis, and shall report its findings and recommendations to the board. The findings and recommendations shall be based on findings by the examining committee that the licensee examined possesses one or more of the impairments set forth in the Impaired Dentists and Dental Hygienists Act and such impairment does, in fact, affect the ability of the licensee to skillfully and safely practice dentistry or dental hygiene. The examining committee shall order the licensee to appear before it for hearing and give the licensee fifteen days notice of time and place of the hearing, together with a statement of the cause for such examination. The notice shall be served upon the licensee either personally or by registered or certified mail with return receipt requested. B. If the examining committee, in its discretion, deems a mental or physical examination of the licensee necessary to its determination of the fitness of the licensee to practice, the examining committee shall order the licensee to submit to such examination. Any person licensed to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in this state shall, by so practicing or by making or filing an annual registration to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in this state, be deemed to have: (1) given consent to submit to mental or physical examination when so directed by the examining committee; and (2) waived all objections to the admissibility of the report of the examining committee to the board or the dental hygienists committee on the grounds of privileged communication. C. Any licensee who submits to a diagnostic mental or physical examination as ordered by the examining committee shall have a right to designate an accompanying individual to be present at the examination and make an independent report to the board. D. Failure of a licensee to comply with an examining committee order under Subsection B of this section to appear before it for hearing or to submit to mental or physical examination under this section shall be reported by the examining committee to the board or dental hygienists committee and, unless due to circumstances beyond the control of the licensee, shall be grounds for the immediate and summary suspension by the board of the licensee to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in this state until further order of the board.