Connecticut Opens the Door to Cosmetic Injections for Dentists (With Limits)

What Public Act 26-13 Means for Dentists

Earlier this year, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed Public Act No. 26-13, "An Act Concerning Various Revisions to the Public Health Statutes," into law. While the Act outlines numerous healthcare laws for various verticals, one provision that stands out for dental practices recently took effect. As of October 1, 2026, Connecticut-licensed dentists may administer cosmetic injections to a patient's face, including botulinum toxin and dermal fillers.

The Act also adds a patient notice requirement that applies to every health care provider in the state. If you own a dental practice in Connecticut or operate a DSO with Connecticut locations, here is what the law requires and how it affects your contracts and operations.

What Public Act 26-13 Changed for Connecticut Dentists

Under prior law, Connecticut dentists could not perform cosmetic procedures other than those related to the mouth or jaw, according to the Office of Legislative Research. Section 34 of the Act opens the door to facial cosmetic injections, which it defines as a nonsurgical procedure involving the injection of a substance, including botulinum toxin or dermal filler, to alter or enhance a person's physical appearance.

To qualify, a dentist must:

• Complete in-person, hands-on training in cosmetic injections through a continuing education provider or program approved by the Commissioner of Public Health or accredited by a national professional accrediting body

• Maintain professional liability insurance that covers cosmetic injection procedures

It’s important to note that these cosmetic injections are a dentist-only service. The Act prohibits delegating them to dental hygienists, dental assistants, or other auxiliary personnel.

Where Connecticut Dentists Can and Cannot Inject

Permitted

• A neuromodulator to the lateral canthal region, including treatment of crow's feet

• Injections to manage orofacial pain, temporomandibular disorders, or other oromandibular conditions

• Dermal filler to the malar, zygomatic, or midface region, when the primary treatment site is the cheek or midface and the injection site stays below the infraorbital rim

  
  

Not Permitted

• The tear trough, infraorbital hollow, eyelids, medial canthal region, or other orbit-adjacent soft tissue for under-eye correction or periocular volumization

• The forehead, glabella, or eyebrows for improved cosmesis

As a dentist in Connecticut, your service menu, website, and marketing should reflect only the permitted treatment areas.

How Connecticut Compares to Other States

As we covered in our legal guide to adding medical aesthetics to a dental practice, a dentist's authority to inject for cosmetic purposes varies widely by state. Most state dental boards address cosmetic injections through policy, and few have laws or rules that directly authorize them.

Here are a few examples that demonstrate the range of differences between states:

• Arizona enacted a statute allowing dentists to give cosmetic injections of Botox and dermal fillers.

• New Jersey permits cosmetic use after a Board-approved course, with proof of completion filed with the Board within 30 days.

• Pennsylvania permits therapeutic and cosmetic use through Board of Dentistry policy, with new regulations in development.

• Massachusetts allows injections as part of a comprehensive treatment plan after 8 hours of training for toxins and 8 hours for fillers.

• California treats Botox solely for cosmetic purposes as outside the scope of dental practice.

  
  

Connecticut’s new Public Act stands out for its precision. Rather than relying on general scope language or board guidance, the Act names specific permitted and prohibited treatment areas, bars delegation, and makes insurance coverage a condition of eligibility.

For Dental Practice Owners and DSOs

Adding cosmetic injections touches several agreements your practice already has in place.

• Insurance. Confirm with your carrier that your professional liability policy expressly covers cosmetic injection procedures, since the Act makes this coverage a condition of eligibility.

• Patient consent forms. Cosmetic injections call for procedure-specific informed consent that addresses the product, treatment area, expected results, and known risks.

• Associate agreements. Address who pays for required training, how aesthetic production is compensated, and how non-compete or non-solicitation terms apply to aesthetic patients.

• DSO management agreements. Check whether your management services agreement covers new service lines, aesthetic marketing, and injectable purchasing. Clinical decisions about offering these services remain with the dentist.

• Services beyond injections. The Act's new authority is limited to cosmetic injections. Other aesthetic services, such as cosmetic lasers, are generally treated as the practice of medicine and typically require a separate medical entity, a Medical Director, and in Corporate Practice of Medicine states, a management services organization (MSO) structure.

  
  

What to Watch Next

The Department of Public Health may issue regulations that further shape how dentists offer cosmetic injections. Practices adding these services should monitor DPH guidance and keep protocols, contracts, and marketing aligned as it develops.

Marti Law Group advises dental practice owners and other healthcare practices on contracts, start-ups, and practice transactions. If you are considering adding cosmetic injections to your Connecticut dental practice or want to review how Public Act 26-13 affects your existing agreements, contact our team.