Practice resources provide important information for oral health professionals in meeting BCCOHP expectations. These resources are to be read and considered in conjunction with the Standards for the Oral Health Team (effective June 30, 2025).
Oral health professionals are responsible for reading BCCOHP’s news and publications to ensure they are aware of current expectations, and are accountable for understanding and interpreting any limits or conditions that might appear in Ministry Regulations and BCCOHP Bylaws regarding restricted titles and scope of practice.
Many of these resources listed below were developed by the legacy colleges before the amalgamation of BC’s four oral health regulatory colleges in 2022 and the introduction of BCCOHP’s Standards for the Oral Health Team. The following legacy documents remain applicable while BCCOHP is in the process of rescinding and replacing legacy resources. Note that eventually, all legacy practice resources will be rescinded and replaced by new BCCOHP standards that apply to all regulated oral health professionals. Learn more and review the inventory of documents being replaced by these new standards here>>
Please reach out to BCCOHP’s Professional Practice team if you have any questions regarding the provision of any aspect of practice or defined restricted activities.
BCCOHP’s unified Standards for the Oral Health Team are in effect for all oral health professionals. These comprehensive standards outline the minimum professional, ethical and practice requirements for all oral health professionals in BC. They are designed to support professional accountability and help ensure consistent, competent care across the professions.
Eventually, all legacy practice resources will be rescinded and replaced by new BCCOHP standards that apply to all regulated oral health professionals. Learn more and review the inventory of documents replaced by these new standards here>>
Note: The legacy College of Denturists of BC referred to the denturist association’s infection prevention and control guidelines.
Read the Denturist Association of Canada document here. >>
Rationale | Infection prevention and control is an important part of safe patient care. BCCOHP’s practice standards state, A registrant must demonstrate, at all times, a level of knowledge which ensures the adequate protection of the public. Areas of requisite knowledge are:
Denturists must maintain the standards of practice of the profession and, accordingly, must ensure that appropriate infection prevention and control procedures are carried out in their practices. |
Policy Statement | The British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals has adopted the Denturist Association of Canada’s infection control recommendations as the acceptable standards for infection prevention and control in a denturist’s practice. |
Read the summary document here. >>
On February 24, 2020, the Ministry of Health announced amendments to the regulations (scope of practice statements) for dental hygienists, dental technicians, denturists and dentists. One significant change that may affect the provision of services provided by denturists is the amended definition of prescription.
The Denturists Regulation now defines a prescription as “an authorization, issued by a person who is authorized under the Act to prescribe a partial denture or overdenture, to dispense a partial denture or overdenture for use by a named individual”.
An authorization is permission or authority to do something.
Dentists are authorized under the Health Professions Act to prescribe a partial denture or overdenture as part of the patient’s treatment plan. The dentist and denturist must work collaboratively to ensure the treatment options are appropriate.
The authorization can be provided by a written prescription from the dentist for the patient or over the phone following the collaborative care discussions between the dentist and the denturist.
The decision to prescribe a partial denture or overdenture will be based on collaborative discussion and decision-making amongst the patient, the denturist and the dentist. This process will serve to enhance collaborative care amongst the entire dental team. Collaborative care includes pre-treatment assessment of the patient and review of the patient’s medical record by all parties, and determination through discussion between the denturist and dentist of the patient’s needs for and expectation of the partial or overdenture. The denturist and the dentist each must take responsibility according to their scope of practice.
If the prescription requires a dental technician to assist with the development of a partial denture or overdenture, the dental technician must review the prescription and be included in the discussion with the rest of the oral healthcare team and the patient.
When a dentist creates a prescription, they must only authorize or request procedures with which they are familiar. This ensures that they are aware that the authorization or request is reasonable under the prevailing conditions, and that they would be able to assist with the management of circumstances that may occur during the completion of the prescription. If they are unfamiliar with the procedures or conditions potentially addressed by the prescription, the dentist should refer the patient to a practitioner with experience providing that service.
When a denturist receives a prescription, they must confirm that they understand the content of the prescription, and that they have the education, training, acquired skills, equipment and materials to undertake that portion of the work or treatment for which they will be responsible. If a denturist does not have the required competencies, they should refer the patient to another practitioner with experience providing that service.
The denturist must examine the patient to ensure they are in suitable condition for the treatment to be undertaken. Where circumstances appear to be unsuitable for placement of a prosthesis, a discussion with the prescribing dentist is necessary. For example:
A dentist may choose to issue a prescription for a given patient to cover a specific timeframe (e.g. three to six months). If this is the case, it is expected that the denturist will review, update and document the patient’s medical status as well as revisit and determine the need for the partial denture or overdenture prior to dispensing. The denturist must engage the prescribing dentist in discussion should any changes be required.
It is expected the patient’s treatment record will include:
Reference documents:
BCCOHP’s Standards for the Oral Health Team are the minimum professional, ethical and practice requirements for oral health professionals. They include practice standards for recordkeeping, which apply to all practice records regardless of the format (physical or electronic) or where they are located and/or stored. This practice resource provides additional information and resources to facilitate understanding of (and compliance with) recordkeeping standards within the Standards for the Oral Health Team.
BCCOHP assists oral health professionals (OHPs) who are facing addiction or any health matters that could affect their ability to provide safe patient care*.
All health matters are treated confidentially and oral health professionals may participate voluntarily in BCCOHP’s Health Monitoring Program (Page 115, PDF). The Investigation Committee can also order an oral health professional to undergo a capacity evaluation.
Upon receipt of expert medical advice, the licensee may be asked to voluntarily withdraw from practice until such time as they have been determined fit to practice. BCCOHP’s aim is to see the individual recover and return to work in a sustainable way. BCCOHP works with oral health professionals to determine a pathway back to safe practice.
If you are (or know of) a BCCOHP licensee suffering from a health matter, please contact BCCOHP’s Monitoring department using our contact form.
*a number of health matters may fit into this category of altered physical and/or cognitive competency. A health condition includes a physical, cognitive or mental condition or ailment or an emotional disturbance.
The professional associations for each of the oral health professions may offer confidential supports and resources for oral health professionals and their families.
Health regulators recognize that addiction is a disease for which recovery pathways exist, and that those recovery pathways should be separate from complaints and discipline. BCCOHP operates in this manner and works with oral health professionals seeking treatment. The way BCCOHP deals with health matters is confidential.
If you suffer from an addiction/dependency disease, you have a duty to protect the safety of patients and legal/ethical obligation to cease practice immediately and notify BCCOHP in confidence through Manager, Monitoring and Compliance, Moninder Sahota’s direct phone line: 672-202-0448 (ext. 5345).
Additionally, if you are aware of another oral health professional’s addiction/dependency, it is your professional, ethical and legal duty to report it to BCCOHP.
What will happen next?
BCCOHP’s collaborative approach to treatment and monitoring guides oral health professionals through treatment and provides a pathway back to safe practice. The essential elements of the addiction recovery pathway typically include:
1 | Practitioner’s agreement to voluntarily withdraw from practice until deemed medically fit to return (failing a voluntary agreement, BCCOHP has the ability to take action under the Health Professions and Occupations Act – section 259) – Confidential supports and resources may be available from the professional associations for each of the oral health professions. – Access to practitioners able to step in as locums (to maintain the practice on behalf of the practitioner while undergoing treatment) should be explored by the oral health professionals by contacting their professional associations. |
| 2 | Assessment by a physician with addiction medicine expertise recognized by BCCOHP |
| 3 | Treatment (in accordance with expert recommendations) |
| 4 | Post-treatment assessment and planning for return to work |
| 5 | A formal agreement with BCCOHP to fulfill certain conditions for return to practice (and during continued practice) |
| 6 | Upon return to work, a period of ongoing monitoring by the addiction medicine expert and the treatment team, which includes monitored return-to-work protocols |
What happens if I relapse?
Addiction is a chronic brain disease with a complex etiology and a tendency for relapse; however, success rates for professionals who enter a structured program are high. The data for physicians who undergo rigorous standards of treatment and monitoring indicates that 5-year abstinence rates from substance abuse disorders are in excess of 80 per cent, which far outperforms other treatment programs*.
Should relapse occur:
*Six lessons from State Physician Health Programs to Promote Long Term Recovery: DuPont, M.D. and Skipper, G.E. 2012; Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Vol. 44(1), 72-78
All health professionals who are regulated under B.C.’s Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) have a professional, ethical and legal responsibility to report any unsafe practice of any other regulated health practitioner.
The duty to report under the HPOA applies across professions. This means that a professional who is licensed with one regulatory college is legally required to report a professional from any regulatory college (including their own).
Regulated health practitioners are legally required to report if they have reasonable grounds to believe that another regulated health practitioner is not fit to practice and the continued practice of their profession presents a significant risk of harm to the public. This may cover a wide range of conduct.
For example, practitioners are obligated to report when they have a good reason to believe that the public is in danger as a result of another practitioner suffering from a physical or mental ailment, an emotional or cognitive disturbance, or an addiction to drugs or alcohol that impairs their ability to practice.
Sexual misconduct, sexual abuse and discrimination must also be reported. Where concerns about sexual misconduct, sexual abuse and discrimination are based on information provided by a patient in the context of a professional – patient relationship, the consent of the patient or their parent/guardian must be obtained before making the report.
Where a professional is hospitalized for psychiatric care or treatment, or for treatment for addiction to alcohol or drugs, and is therefore unable to practice, a licensee who is an employee fo the health care facility, is obligated to report the professional to the regulatory body with which they are licensed.
It can be a difficult decision to decide whether to report a colleague to their regulatory body. A duty to report can be triggered by “reasonable grounds” that a reportable situation exists. Such grounds exist when a health professional believes there is a reliable basis for their suspicion and when a reasonable person in our society would also believe that the evidence supports such a belief.
If a health professional is concerned, they should contact the college of the professional in question to obtain clarification about the situation, or to determine if it is necessary to make a formal report. Making an inquiry (without specifying the name of the practitioner) does not automatically turn into a formal report.
In non-emergency circumstances that concern potentially substandard practice, it may be appropriate to contact the professional directly for clarification before deciding whether a report to their regulatory college is necessary. BCCOHP occasionally receives complaints from dentists about colleagues that are founded on simple misunderstandings that could have easily been clarified without the need to report to BCCOHP.
No. The HPOA provides immunity to health professionals who comply with the duty to report as long as the report is made in good faith and is based on reasonable grounds.
A health professional is in violation of the law if they do not meet their legal, professional or ethical responsibility to report a practitioner under the HPOA’s duty to report requirements.
In addition, the practitioner may be subject to disciplinary measures taken by their regulatory college and may also be the subject of a complaint filed by the college to which the professional with the impairment, ailment, addiction or ethical issue belongs.
It is understandable that a professional may wish to protect their identity when reporting a fellow practitioner, as this may be an uncomfortable situation; however, the duty to report is a legal obligation that is necessary for the protection of the public. A regulatory report may not be made anonymously, but an application for an identity protection order may be made in accordance with section 235 of the HPOA.
Regulatory bodies investigate and assess reports submitted under the duty to report based on the protection of the public, the maintenance of public confidence in professions and the legitimate expectations of complainants, professionals and the public that allegations will be fairly assessed and investigated.
While public safety is always the primary concern, B.C.’s health regulators also strive to respect the dignity and privacy of the health professional. Appropriate treatment and medical monitoring may be put in place if warranted.
Where you are required to make a formal report, you must submit the report in writing to the regulatory body with which the health professional is registered. Practitioners are advised to contact the college of the individual they are reporting to discuss the format and procedure for submitting their concern.
In a situation where several practitioners share a concern, they may submit one report. However, the report must be signed by all the practitioners submitting it.
