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 Note that eventually, all legacy practice resources will be rescinded and replaced by new BCCOHP standards that apply to all regulated oral health professionals.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Eventually, all legacy practice resources will be rescinded and replaced by new BCCOHP standards that apply to all regulated oral health professionals.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.
