All pre-existing QA program requirements and assessments are ending on December 31, 2025. The information below about the outgoing program is being maintained into January 2026 to support those with cycles ending on December 31, 2025.

Dental Hygienist Quality Assurance

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).

Modernized QAP coming April 2026

BCCOHP is establishing a single, modernized Quality Assurance Program (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:

Oral health professionals with QA cycles ending December 31, 2025 are the final cohorts required to complete the pre-existing program requirements.
Effective January 1, 2026, no further reporting of pre-existing QA activities or assessments will be required.
- Beginning January 1, 2026, the dental hygienists’ QAP Assessment Tool will no longer be required.
Assignment of new QA cycles will be deferred until the launch of the modernized QAP.

What this means for dental hygienists with cycles ending December 31, 2025:

You must complete all Required Learning Plans, Continuing Competency (CC) credits, and the Jurisprudence Education Module (JEM) before the end of this cycle.
If you are certified to administer local anesthetic (LA (C)), you must also complete the Local Anesthetic (LA) Module before the end of this cycle.
These requirements must be met in order to renew your registration or Local Anesthetic Certification.
You will not be required to complete the QAP Assessment Tool in 2026.

Professional development during the transition

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:

Ensures patient safety
Upholds professional responsibility
Maintains professional competence as set out in the Professional Standards for the Oral Health Team

Professional Standard 2.7 requires oral health professionals to maintain current knowledge, skills, and abilities. To meet this standard, you must demonstrate that:

2.7.1 You remain current and keep your knowledge, skills and abilities up to date throughout your professional career
2.7.2 You use your professional judgment and reflect on patient outcomes to identify potential gaps or deficiencies in your knowledge, skills and ability and take steps to address them

QAP Information Guide

Download the QAP Information Guide

Download the QAP Content Subcategories Expanded Definitions

Quality Assurance Project Update

Our work to establish a modernized quality assurance program for all oral health professionals has been a key initiative since BCCOHP’s creation through amalgamation in 2022.

The quality assurance programs developed by the legacy colleges that came together remained in place upon amalgamation and will be replaced in April 2026 by a single, modernized QAP.

Learn more about the QAP modernization project here >>

Note: The information below contains details about the outgoing/pre-existing Quality Assurance Program and is being maintained here to support those with cycles ending on December 31, 2025, in being able to confirm that they have fulfilled all applicable remaining requirements.

Current/outgoing QA Program (ending on December 31, 2025)

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.

The dental hygienist QA program requires registrants to undertake an Assessment Tool to assess their foundational dental hygiene knowledge. 

Following the assessment phase, registrants are required to develop an individualized learning plan that includes courses or other learning activities to address any areas of weakness identified through the assessment process. Registrants are required to complete 75 continuing competency (CC) credits per cycle. 

A dental hygienist’s QA cycle was assigned at the date of registration and ran on a five-year calendar cycle. These cycles remain constant despite the registration class a registrant holds (i.e., practising, non-practising, former). Please contact us for further information specific to your cycle if you plan to move between registrant classes.

Use the links below to find out more about legacy dental hygienist quality assurance and professional development: