18 U.S.C. § 1821
Section 1821 · Transportation of dentures
Amended 3 times on record
Applied in 40 court decisions — leading case HOLY CROSS CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST v. Wolf (2001)
Most recently applied in J. M. ACOSTA (July 2018)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Whoever transports by mail or otherwise to or within the District of Columbia or any Possession of the United States or uses the mails or any instrumentality of interstate commerce for the purpose of sending or bringing into any State or Territory any set of artificial teeth or prosthetic dental appliance or other denture, constructed from any cast or impression made by any person other than, or without the authorization or prescription of, a person licensed to practice dentistry under the laws of the place into which such denture is sent or brought, where such laws prohibit;
(1) the taking of impressions or casts of the human mouth or teeth by a person not licensed under such laws to practice dentistry;
(2) the construction or supply of dentures by a person other than, or without the authorization or prescription of, a person licensed under such laws to practice dentistry; or
(3) the construction or supply of dentures from impressions or casts made by a person not licensed under such laws to practice dentistry—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§420f, 420g, and 420h (Dec. 24, 1942, ch. 823, §§1, 2, 3, 56 Stat. 1087).
This section consolidates the offense, penalty, and definitive provisions of sections 420f, 420g, and 420h of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., as subsections (a) and (b).
The definition of “denture” was omitted as unnecessary in view of the phraseology of the revised section, the context of which makes clear the meaning of dentures referred to.
The definition of “Territory” was omitted as unnecessary. The revised section makes clear the places included in the application of the section without the use of definitions.
The definition of “Interstate Commerce” was likewise omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of interstate commerce in section 10 of this title.
Changes of phraseology and arrangement were made, but without change of substance.
Amendments
2002—Pub. L. 107–273 struck out “, the Canal Zone” after “the District of Columbia” in first par.
1996—Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” in last par.