Welcome to the BC College of Oral Health Professionals (BCCOHP). We protect the public from harm and discrimination by overseeing safe, competent, ethical, and team-based oral health care in British Columbia. A key part of this our public protection mandate is setting clear expectations for safe, patient-centered oral health care.
Below, you’ll find key information and resources for patients and the public. Learn more about us >>
Licensed dental assistants: support the oral health care team in the delivery of safe oral health care.
Dental hygienists: provide preventive dental care (e.g., teeth cleaning) and educate patients on recommended oral hygiene practices (e.g., brushing, flossing, etc.).
Dental technicians: fabricate dental prosthetics (dentures/crowns/orthodontic appliances) and other oral devices prescribed by dentists. Upon receipt of a written request from a denturist, a dental technician may also make and alter dentures.
Dental therapists: provide preventive and basic restorative dental care under the supervision of a dentist (usually in remote communities).
Dentists: diagnose, treat, and prevent oral health issues.
Denturists: fabricate, fit, maintain, and repair dentures.
BCCOHP maintains a public registry where you can verify whether an oral health professional is allowed to practise in BC, what services they can provide, view disciplinary actions against them, and more. Search the Public Registry >>
Read the Standards for the Oral Health Team >>
Printable poster: What patients can expect from the oral health team>>
View a video about the Standards here >>
We have translated the standards into the five most commonly spoken languages in BC other than English to support greater accessibility and understanding. These include Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, Punjabi and Spanish. Although care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the translations, they may not fully reflect the original and/or revised content and may contain inadvertent errors or omission. In all cases, the original English version remains the official and authoritative text.
Note: Work is ongoing to develop updated Practice Resources, which are include requirements and additional information for supportive areas of oral health care, such as sedation and infection prevention and control. Learn more about this work on our Standards Project webpage >>
If you have concerns about the care you receive from an oral health professional, learn how to file a complaint and what to expect during the process: Learn About the Process >>
BCCOHP invites you to share your experience with a regulated oral health professional by completing a patient/peer experience survey. Collecting this feedback is part of BCCOHP’s Quality Assurance Program (QAP), which supports oral health professionals in the provision of safe oral health care throughout their careers.
Research shows that surveys like this support safe and respectful care by offering helpful insights for professionals into areas such as communication, professionalism, teamwork, and cultural safety.
We encourage you to answer honestly about your experience. Your responses are anonymous and will only be shared in a way that cannot identify you. Responses are reviewed collectively by BCCOHP to support continuous improvements to the QAP and may be reviewed by your oral health professional to support reflection and learning, not evaluation.
Learn more about how the patient/peer experience survey works by watching this training video >>
Please click the link below to complete the survey:
https://apps.oralhealthbc.ca/qap-feedback.aspx
Please do not use this survey to submit a complaint. If you have a complaint about the conduct or competence of an oral health professional licensed by BCCOHP, go here.
At BCCOHP, we are committed to ensuring patients and the public in BC receive safe oral health care delivered by competent professionals. Health equity and anti-discrimination are an area of strategic focus outlined in our 2024-27 Strategic Plan.
Not everyone in BC experiences the health system the same way. Differences in opportunities to obtain to care, information, and support can lead to unequal health outcomes. Health equity means ensuring everyone has a fair opportunity to achieve their best health.
As part of our commitment to health equity, BCCOHP runs a research program to obtain insights from patients and members of the public: the Voice of the Oral Health Patient. Use the interactive tools below to explore our research insights:
Note: the values in the dashboards are an average of the data points year on year.
This research helps us better understand the diverse experiences and barriers faced by the public as it relates oral health care in BC. We are committed to using these findings to improve the delivery of safe, competent care that promotes equitable outcomes for all.
“Upholding Indigenous rights and promoting reconciliation through the regulation and delivery of oral health care” is a strategic focus outlined in our 2024-27 Strategic Plan.
We commit to taking concrete steps to promote system change and dismantle racism. To support this work, we have built out a project to enhance cultural safety and humility in BC’s oral health sector and address systemic racism.
Learn more about our commitment to cultural safety and humility >>
Have a question or need assistance? Reach out to us through our contact form:
