It’s been nearly five months since BCCOHP began regulating under BC’s new Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA). As expected, the new legislation requires us to continue evolving our processes, website and operations.
In support of our ongoing work to align with the requirements of the HPOA, several changes have been made to the BCCOHP website. Please review the information below to ensure you are up to date.
Improving the complaints process
Resolving complaints with an emphasis on collaborative resolution
In the months leading up to the HPOA transition day, BCCOHP initiated changes to its complaint investigation and resolutions processes. The primary goal was to ensure compliance with the HPOA, but we took it a step further and redesigned our process to resolve complaints faster while also improving the overall experience for both patients and oral health professionals.
Most notably, we introduced a new consensual resolution process for handling low risk complaint matters. This allows us to resolve the majority of complaints much more quickly while keeping the focus on the matter of the complaint, which benefits all parties. In resolving the majority of matters through an efficient consensual resolution process, we are able to put greater focus on the resolution of higher-risk concerns.
Our approach to resolving complaints is grounded in BCCOHP’s standards and is designed to support timely, fair and proportionate resolutions. After just a few months of applying this new process, we are already seeing a decrease in the average time it takes to resolve complaints.
The complaints area of the website includes updated information about the overall process, what BCCOHP can and cannot do, what patients can expect from the oral health team and what type of outcome to expect. Learn more >>
Consolidating practice requirements on the website
Continuing to assess and unify legacy college documents
BCCOHP has continued to assess and unify the content on our website to align with our shift to a unified standards framework.
Below is a summary of recent web updates to the “Practice resources” area of the website (now renamed as “Practice requirements” to better reflect the content in this area).
| Description of change | Recommendation |
| Menu name changed from “Practice resources” to “Practice requirements”. | The new menu name is broader and more accurately describes the content in this section of the website (such as the Quality Assurance Program). |
| To support the shift towards unified team-based standards and practice resources, the standalone profession-specific web pages containing legacy standards have now been consolidated into a single page for all oral health professionals (organized by profession, as applicable). | All members of the oral health team should refer to the same web page for information about standards and other resources. |
| For denturists: Interpretive guidance for prescriptions has been removed from the website as it refers to the former Denturist’s Regulation and Ministerial Order M041, both of which no longer exist. | Denturists may refer to the Oral Health Professionals Regulation Part 5 for direction. |
| For dentists: CDSBC’s policy statement Treatment of Patients Living with HIV/AIDS was removed from the website as the requirements and information within are covered by other sources. | Dentists may refer to legislation, regulations, BCCOHP’s Bylaws, Standards for the Oral Health Team, Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines, and/or other authoritative resources. |
Work to assess the remaining legacy college resources continues and all documents removed from the site are itemized (along with the rationale for removal) here >>
Critical incident reporting procedures
The website has been updated to clarify that critical incidents related to sedation, general anesthesia or blood-borne pathogens must immediately be reported to BCCOHP’s Registrar by phone (672-202-0448, toll-free within Canada: 1-888-202-0448).
The reporting form has been removed from the website so that BCCOHP staff can work with the reporting party to assess the concern and determine next steps. This may include requesting a written submission of the incident.
Note that critical incident reporting requirements apply to all oral health professionals.
Public notifications table update
The table of public notifications on our website has been updated with a new column for “action taken”, which creates room to list new actions required under HPOA (such as requests for citations) and makes key information about each notice visible at a glance.
Understanding BCCOHP’s role
The website has been updated with clarifying information about BCCOHP’s role and authority to help both oral health professionals and the public know where to turn for specific needs. Learn more >>
2025-26 Annual Report
BCCOHP’s 2025-26 Annual Report is available on the BCCOHP website. This year’s report reflects a year of transformation as long-term initiatives came to fruition in preparation for the transition to the Health Professions and Occupations Act. Read the report now >>
We hope that these changes make our website content easier to navigate, but if you have any questions or are having trouble finding anything on the website, email communications@oralhealthbc.ca.