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One of the three main ways BCCOHP protects the public is by ensuring that all regulated oral health professionals are supported in the provision of safe oral health care throughout their careers. This work is carried out through our Quality Assurance Program (QAP).
BCCOHP is establishing a single, modernized QAP for all oral health professionals. The program will be implemented in April 2026.
All pre-existing program requirements and assessments are ending on December 31, 2025. To support this transition:
What this means for certified dental assistants with cycles ending December 31, 2025:
Although reporting of pre-existing QA activities will not be required between January and April 2026, oral health professionals are encouraged to continue engaging in professional development that:
Professional Standard 2.7 requires oral health professionals to maintain current knowledge, skills, and abilities. To meet this standard, you must demonstrate that:
As detailed above, all pre-existing QA program requirements and assessments are ending on December 31, 2025. The information below is being maintained until January 2026 to support those with cycles ending on December 31, 2025.
BCCOHP’s outgoing QA program for certified dental assistants has two main components:
Your QA cycle was assigned at the date of certification and ran on a three-year calendar cycle. These cycles have remained constant despite the certification classification a CDA holds (i.e., practising, non-practising, former). Please contact us for further information specific to your cycle if you plan to move between certification classifications.
Below is a summary of QA requirements for CDAs. General information about continuing education and continuous practice can be found in the sidebar.
Following are descriptions of the categories under which CDAs may earn CE credits and the maximum number of credits allowed in each category over a three-year cycle.
Category/ Modality | Description | Max Credits Per Cycle |
CDAs | ||
Clinical Dental | Relates directly to the provision of patient care and treatment | No limit |
Dental Practice Management | Relates directly to the operation and management of a dental practice (does not include courses related to personal financial or retirement planning, or marketing products or services to patients) | 18 |
Dental/ | First aid, CPR, ACLS, and management of dental/medical emergencies | 12 |
Non-Clinical Dental | Topics that are applicable to the registrant’s practice of dentistry | 12 |
Other Dental | E.g. CDA modules, lecturers/ presenters/mentors/supervisors, university/college courses, examinations, publication authorship, and learning contract/directed study | Variable See pages 6-7 of Continuing Education Requirements (PDF) document |
Note: There are credit limits associated with the various CE learning categories and modalities. For more information, read the Continuing Education Requirements (PDF) document.
CDAs are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria for continuing education credits, which is available here.
CDAs are required to maintain a minimum number of hours of mandatory continuing education (CE) in order to renew certification to practise each year.
Your QA cycle was assigned at the date of registration and ran on a three-year calendar cycle, e.g. January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2022.
Minimum required credits during a three-year QA cycle: 36 credits (one hour = 1 credit)
Detailed requirements, including course eligibility, are outlined in the Continuing Education Requirements (PDF) document.
CDAs must achieve at least 600 practice hours within their QA cycle in order to renew their full certification.
Acceptable continuous practice hours include the provision of clinical dental treatment, employment as a dental educator or dental researcher, or enrollment in a dental education program.
In order to fulfill this requirement, a CDA must perform the restricted activities that a CDA may perform under the BCCOHP Bylaws. If you work in both an administrative and clinical capacity, you should keep track of your clinical hours for your records. Dental reception hours are not eligible for your continuous practice requirement.
To meet the continuous practice requirement, CDAs must work approximately 17 hours per month (within their QA cycle).