(a) Appliance categories. Appliances include, but are not limited to, eyeglasses, artificial eyes, dental prosthesis, artificial limbs, orthopedic braces and shoes, and hearing aids. A patient's need for such appliances shall be based on medical necessity and prescribed appliances shall be provided at state expense.

(b) Possession of appliance. No patient shall be deprived of a prescribed orthopedic or prosthetic appliance in the patient's possession upon arrival into the Department's custody or properly obtained while in the Department's custody unless a Department physician or dentist determines the appliance is no longer needed and the patient's personal physician, if any, concurs in that opinion. If a patient's dental prosthetic appliance is confiscated for safety and security reasons, a dentist shall be notified by the next business day to determine whether the patient will require any accommodations due to the loss of the prosthetic appliance.

(c) Dental appliances. Departmental dentists shall not order prescribed dental appliances made from precious metal, and departmental dentists or dental laboratories shall not perform repairs to existing dental prosthesis made from precious metal. If a patient's existing dental appliance made from precious metal needs repair, the dentist shall offer the patient the option of having a new prosthesis made.