Any person who not being legally authorized to practice dental surgery shall practice it, or who shall violate the provisions of this subchapter, shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a minimum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000) and a maximum fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by imprisonment in jail for a fixed term of one (1) year; if there are aggravating circumstances, the fixed term thus established may be increased to a maximum of two (2) years; if there were extenuating circumstances, it may be reduced to a minimum of six (6) months and one (1) day, or by both penalties at the discretion of the court; in case of recidivism, the fixed penalty provided herein shall be increased by half. Likewise, the penalty with the aggravating and extenuating circumstances shall be increased, and all the equipment, instruments, tools, medicine and drugs shall be confiscated by the competent authority. The confiscation may be objected pursuant to law.
Exclusive jurisdiction is hereby granted to the Court of First Instance of Puerto Rico to hear the offenses established in this section.
History —Aug. 8, 1925, No. 75, p. 550, § 13; Apr. 20, 1929, No. 31, p. 198, § 7; June 18, 1965, No. 39, p. 75, § 2; Oct. 9, 1986, No. 11, p. 817, § 15.