A message from BCCOHP’s Registrar and CEO, Chris Hacker
This was a year of acceleration for BCCOHP – one where we moved from planning to doing. The work of bringing multiple legacy systems, cultures and approaches into alignment is no small task; however, it is gratifying to see ideas coming to fruition through our work.
Some of the milestones are already visible, such as the Professional Standards for the Oral Health Team and improvements to the login areas used by oral health professionals. Rather than providing a full progress report on every initiative, this newsletter takes a closer look at some of the most active areas of work right now, including quality assurance program modernization, BCCOHP’s Professional and Practice Standards and preparations for upcoming legislative changes
If you are interested in a broader view of our strategic efforts, BCCOHP’s Annual Report captures many of the successes of the past year. More recently, we shared a progress update celebrating the halfway point of our 2024-27 Strategic Plan at our 2025 Annual Meeting. That plan continues to guide our efforts across four key areas of focus, and while some initiatives are highly visible, others continue to build more quietly in the background. We are steadily working to create a culturally safe and humble experience for everyone engaging with BCCOHP and look forward to sharing more detail around our anti-discrimination, equity and reconciliation work in future updates.
Put together, these changes reflect our commitment to building a modern oral health regulatory system that is equipped to safeguard the public from harm and discrimination by diligently overseeing safe, competent, ethical and team-based oral health care. We are confident that the body of work being undertaken through this strategic plan will make a lasting difference in how we regulate.
We appreciate that oral health professionals are taking note and showing interest in the work ahead by engaging with our consultations – some updates on that work are included below.
Warmly,
Chris
Supporting competence: A modernized Quality Assurance Program
In June, we invited your feedback on BCCOHP’s proposed Quality Assurance Program framework. The consultation was an important milestone as we work to modernize how we assess and support ongoing competence across the oral health professions.
We heard from over 1000 oral health professionals via the consultation, and have updated our website with new information, including themes from the consultation feedback, questions and answers about the project and the proposed framework and next steps in the development process.
Read the consultation update >>
Developing modern standards
Professional Standards for the Oral Health Team
BCCOHP’s Professional Standards for the Oral Health Team define safe, ethical and competent oral health care. Since coming into effect on June 30, 2025, additional resources have been developed to support broader access and understanding. Recent additions include:
The Professional Standards have been translated from English into the top five languages spoken in BC.
A new patient-facing poster highlights what members of the public can expect from their oral health team, supporting transparency and trust in care.
New series! Starting this week, we are launching a six-part email series for oral health professionals. The series will spotlight the professional standards, sharing information to support awareness and application in practice.
Learn more about these resources >>
Practice Standards
BCCOHP’s practice standards set additional requirements for high-risk areas of oral health care. We have begun work to update BCCOHP practice standards in the following areas:
- Sedation and general anesthesia
- Recordkeeping
As part of this work, current standards on these subjects are being reviewed and considered in the development of the updated requirements. More information will be shared as the development process unfolds.
Existing practice standards remain in effect until new ones are finalized, and can always be accessed on our website.
Preparing for the Health Professions and Occupations Act
Planning for BCCOHP’s transition from the Health Professions Act (HPA) to the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) continues. BCCOHP is working with the BC Ministry of Health and BC’s other health profession regulators to prepare for the transition, and we will continue to update oral health professionals along the way. Stay updated on BCCOHP’s efforts to prepare here >>
Consulting on the proposed bylaws
All of BC’s health regulators are required to draft a new set of bylaws to comply with the requirements of the HPOA when it is fully brought into force on April 1, 2026*.
The proposed bylaws define how BCCOHP will be structured and governed once the HPOA comes fully into force. They also outline how we will uphold our legal responsibility to protect patients and the public by regulating oral health professionals in BC.
Between September 8 and October 31, 2025, BCCOHP invited feedback on the proposed bylaws developed to align with the upcoming HPOA. We are in the process of analyzing the submissions to this round of consultation and thank everyone who contributed to the consultation by providing feedback.
Please note that three parts of the bylaws are still being drafted and were not included in this consultation but will be shared at a later date. Stay tuned for more details.
*Some sections of the HPOA are already in force: The BC government has already brought certain sections of the HPOA into force required to establish the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office.
Provincial government resources
- Detailed information about the HPOA and what it will do for the public is available here >>
- Health Professions and Occupations Act