Denturist Quality Assurance

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
2. Mentoring a Student: hour per hour
3. Participation in a Study Group: hour per hour
4. Publish an Article/Research: hour per hour
5. Patient Feedback Forms/Cards: hour per hour
6. Develop a Case Study for the QA Tool: hour per hour
7. Be an Examiner: hour per hour
8. Challenge an OSCE: hour per hour
9. Other: hour per hour
10. Peer Denture Evaluation: 5 CE hours

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.

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. 
  
• 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 annual practitioner review is a fundamental part of the BCCOHP Quality Assurance (QA) program. Each practicing registered denturist will be selected every five years to undergo the Practitioner Review. Those selected will receive an email one month prior to the review date.

This review is conducted by the Quality Assurance Program Coordinator and will be done over the phone.

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.