Denturist Quality Assurance

BCCOHP accepts CE submissions through the online portal or by contact form. BCCOHP randomly audits a percentage of CE submissions in the online portal to reduce turnaround time for processing submissions. Details about the audit process are included below:

When viewing your CE transcript, submission statuses will appear as one of the following:

• Submitted – once an activity is submitted to the online CE submission and if the submission is not selected for audit at the end of that day. this label will remain. and the CE credits are recorded to total accumulated for the QAP cycle. Allowed credits may be lower than submitted credits due to category or activity maximums applied.
• Under review – indicates that a submission has been selected for audit. These credits will remain pending until the requested supporting documentation is submitted by the registrant/CDA and BCCOHP staff determine whether the credits are accepted or denied.
• Approved – indicates that a submission has been audited and The credits are recorded to the total accumulated for the QAP cycle.
• Denied – indicates that a submission has been audited and it has been denied, either because it does not meet the or proof of attendance was not provided. These credits are not recorded to the total accumulated for the QAP cycle.

Questions?

For further information and/or assistance, please contact us.

The QAP cycle for denturists typically follows a one-year cycle and was previously in progress from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. To comply with the BCCOHP bylaws that came into place upon amalgamation of oral health regulatory colleges, QAP cycles must align with the calendar year.  To adjust for this, the QAP cycle has been temporarily changed as follows: 

• One-time cycle extension: To transition to a calendar year basis, the current cycle is extended by nine months. The current QAP cycle will run from April 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, (one year and nine months). This is a one-time extension, after which, the QAP cycle will resume on a standard one-year duration.
• Additional credit requirement: Due to the nine-month extension, all denturists must fulfill 15 additional credits during this extended cycle (for a total of 35 credits) required between April 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024. This is a temporary modification for this extended cycle only. Please note that registrants can claim up to a maximum of 10 credits per day.
• No Quality Assurance (QA) submissions required at 2024/25 renewal: Due to the extension of the current cycle, the deadline for the 2023-2024 QA Checklist and QA Tool has also been extended to December 31, 2024, instead of March 31, 2024. Therefore, QA requirements (Continuing Education Credits, QA Checklist and QA Tool) will not be required for the upcoming renewal deadline of March 31, 2024.

As of January 1, 2025, the QAP cycle will revert to its standard one-year period, running from January 1 to December 31, 2025, and will return to the previous 20 CE credit requirement.  

Please note, QAP requirements still include engaging in a minimum of 675 hours of denturism practice for every three years of active registration.  

The purpose of this guideline is to ensure that BCCOHP and the Quality Assurance (QA) Committee are following a consistent, transparent and fair process for approving continuing education (CE) courses.

View the guideline here >>

The CE activities below have been pre-approved for the following CE hours: 

1. CE Course: hour per hour
   
   • Any course(s) that increase a denturist’s quality of practice and/or related to oral health.
2. Mentoring a Student: hour per hour
   
   • A minimum of 20 hours spent mentoring the same student throughout one year. The mentor cannot receive monetary compensation.
3. Participation in a Study Group: hour per hour
   
   • Groups of three or more dental professionals who meet to discuss topics related to oral health. Any number of meetings totaling to a minimum of 5 hours, with detailed minutes of the meeting(s) is required.

4. Publish an Article/Research: hour per hour
   
   • A literature review on a topic relating to denturism published in a recognized mainstream media form (newspaper, magazine, book, etc.). Minimum 500 words.

5. Patient Feedback Forms/Cards: hour per hour
   
   • Implement patient feedback forms in your practice over a period of time (minimum of 6 months) and summarize your results. Registrants need to provide a blank sample patient feedback form that is given to your patients.

6. Be an examiner: hour per hour
   
   • A minimum of two days, as per available.

7. Other: hour per hour
   
   • As approved by the Quality Assurance Committee.

Each CE activity has requirements that registrants must meet before submitting their activity for approval, i.e.: proof of attendance, prior approval. The requirements are listed on each activity form which can be accessed through the online registrant portal. Registrants can claim up to a maximum of 10 credits per day.

The Quality Assurance Program (QAP) for denturists requires completion of the following: 

• QA checklist,   
• QA tool, and   
• A minimum number of hours of approved professional development. 

In addition, QAP requirements include engaging in a minimum of 675 hours of denturism practice for every three years of active registration.  

The QAP cycle for denturists typically follows a one-year cycle and was previously in progress from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. To comply with the BCCOHP bylaws that came into place upon amalgamation of oral health regulatory colleges, QAP cycles must align with the calendar year.  To adjust for this, the QAP cycle has been temporarily changed as follows: 

• One-time cycle extension: To transition to a calendar year basis, the current cycle is extended by nine months. The current QAP cycle will run from April 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, (one year and nine months). This is a one-time extension, after which, the QAP cycle will resume on a standard one-year duration.
  
• Additional credit requirement: Due to the nine-month extension, all denturists must fulfill 15 additional credits during this extended cycle (for a total of 35 credits) required between April 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024. This is a temporary modification for this extended cycle only. Registrants can claim up to a maximum of 10 credits per day.
  
• No Quality Assurance (QA) submissions required at 2024/25 renewal: Due to the extension of the current cycle, the deadline for the 2023-2024 QA Checklist and QA Tool has also been extended to December 31, 2024, instead of March 31, 2024. Therefore, QA requirements (Continuing Education Credits, QA Checklist and QA Tool) will not be required for the upcoming renewal deadline of March 31, 2024.   

As of January 1, 2025, the QAP cycle will revert to its standard one-year period, running from January 1 to December 31, 2025, and will return to the previous 20 CE credit requirement.  

Please note, QAP requirements still include engaging in a minimum of 675 hours of denturism practice for every three years of active registration.  

Effective April 15, 2025, the “Practitioner Review” will be removed from the QAP for denturists. This means that denturists practising in BC will no longer be required to undergo the “Practitioner Review”, which required a mandatory phone call with BCCOHP staff every five years regarding practice protocols.

All practising denturists must still complete all other components of the existing denturist QAP, including:

• continuing education (CE) credit requirements,
• practice hours,
• the QA Checklist, and
• the QA Tool.

Rationale 

The purpose of continuing education is to ensure continued competence. 

It is the responsibility of each registrant to ensure that continuing education courses and activities reflect the purpose of continuing education and relate to the practice of denturism. Pre-approval is not required, but registrants should consider courses and activities that will benefit their quality of practice. Registrants should refer to the Continuing Education Course Approval Guideline for acceptable continuing education categories. Also, each registrant is responsible for ensuring credit hours are accurately reported to BCCOHP. 

Continuing Education Course or Activity 

In order to ensure acceptance, it is the responsibility of the registrant to consider the following information about the course or activity: 

• relevance to the practice of denturism; 
• objectives or competencies to be achieved; 
• number of hours; 
• name of sponsoring organization or individual; 
• qualifications of all persons involved in teaching, guiding or leading; 
• affiliation and interest of sponsoring individual or organization; date, place and time. 

Criteria for Approval of a Continuing Education Course or Activity 

BCCOHP uses the following criteria to determine whether a course or activity is an acceptable submission and the number of continuing education credits to assign to it: 

•  degree of relevance of the course or activity to continued competency; 
•  degree to which the course or activity meets objectives or achieves competencies; 
•  qualifications of the individuals teaching the course or leading the activity; 
•  affiliation or interest of the sponsoring individual or organization. 

Submission of Proof of Attendance by a Registrant 

A registrant must upload proof of attendance of the specific course or activity to their registrant portal. 

Submission of Proof of Attendance by Other than a Registrant 

BCCOHP will accept proof of attendance from an individual or organization other than a registrant in cases where BCCOHP has authorized the individual or organization to submit this information. Proof of attendance is a signed copy of the register of a course or activity for which credit is being sought. The registrant should ensure that the individual or organization has been authorized by BCCOHP to submit proof of attendance on their behalf.