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 Note that eventually, all legacy practice resources will be rescinded and replaced by new BCCOHP standards that apply to all regulated oral health professionals.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Eventually, all legacy practice resources will be rescinded and replaced by new BCCOHP standards that apply to all regulated oral health professionals.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>>
Practice standards and resources include standards and additional information for adjunctive aspects of practice.
Guidelines are highly recommended but – while being evidence of a standard – are not, strictly speaking, mandatory. Guidelines contain permissive language such as “should” and “may.”
Standards are, by definition, mandatory and must be applied. Standards are clearly identified by mandatory language such as “must” and “required.”
A complete and accurate record assists oral health professionals in planning and providing safe and effective oral health care. Records enable health professionals to ensure continuity of care and to collaborate effectively with other health professionals in support of patient care. Patient records should be a true representation of what occurred during the patient’s care. Records may be used in investigations including forensic, regulatory, and other; and in regulatory processes such as quality assurance.
Documentation
Recordkeeping Practice Resource
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a medical syndrome that is characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep. The Obstructive Sleep Apnea Standards and Guidelines identify the roles and responsibilities of a dentist treating patients with OSA.
Documentation: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Standards and Guidelines
The purpose of the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Standards and Guidlines document is to:
Standard: A dentist’s role in the treatment of OSA is adjunctive, supplementary and/or collaborative to that provided by the physician. A dentist may provide OA therapy only after receiving a written request or prescription from the attending physician, preferably a physician with advanced training in sleep medicine. Because of the increased rates of morbidity and mortality associated with OSA, a physician (family physician or sleep specialist) must assess the potential for other medical conditions, including OSA, before a dentist provides any treatment for primary snoring.
Home Testing Equipment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The treatment of obstructive sleep apnea requires interdisciplinary teamwork between dentists and medical practitioners.
Dentists who rent or provide home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) equipment to patients, through limited business corporations or otherwise, are reminded that the prescription or direction for the provision of overnight home sleep testing equipment must come from a registered medical practitioner. The Ministry of Health requires that anyone doing HSAT must be accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons’ Diagnostic Accreditation Program (DAP).
The College is frequently asked about the use of prescription drugs in dentistry. Dentists with a full, academic or restricted to specialty registration can prescribe drugs under the Health Professions Act. Dentists may need to administer drugs to provide treatment to a patient or a written prescription may be indicated afterwards. Therefore, it is essential that dental professionals know the requirements for prescribing and dispensing drugs.
The purpose of these standards is to assist registrants in regards to dispensing and prescribing drugs to ensure the safe and effective use of prescription medication.
Documentation: Prescribing and Dispensing Drugs Standards and Guidelines
The Controlled Prescription Program sets the requirements for prescribing controlled substances and was established to prevent forgeries and reduce inappropriate prescribing of selected drugs.
Duplicate prescription pads
Order a duplicate prescription pad >>
Dentists who wish to prescribe any of the monitored drugs must order their duplicate prescription pads through BCCOHP. Dentists without these pads cannot prescribe the monitored drugs. Prescription pads are personalized and numerically recorded, the prescription pad must be maintained intact in chronological order. Some practitioners may require multiple pads due to the nature of their practice, if so, you must advise BCCOHP in writing.
Dentists practising as a locum in more than one office are not required to have their practice address imprinted on the prescription scripts; however, your name and BCCOHP registration number must be imprinted. Only when you are writing the prescription must you then add the practice address and phone number of the practice where the prescription is being written.
Returning prescription pads
Dentists must return all partially and fully unused prescription pads to BCCOHP offices (by XpressPost or courier) for shredding if any of the following occur:
Lost or stolen prescription pads
In the case of lost, stolen or forged prescription pads registrants must:
Learn more about lost or stolen prescription pads >>
Additional prescription information
Resources
Wellness program The wellness program (see Health Matters section on this page) assists dentists, dental therapists or CDAs who are facing addiction or any health issues that could affect their ability to provide safe patient care. Questions about the wellness program? |
All general dentists and certified specialists administering sedation and general anesthesia must adhere to the requirements outlined in BCCOHP’s relevant standards and guidelines.
Keep up to date on sedation and GA news here >>
Documentation
| Standards & Guidelines | Addenda |
|---|---|
Minimal and Moderate Sedation Services (non-hospital facilities)
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| December 2016 addendum (updated September 2019) |
| December 2016 addendum (updated September 2019) |
Register your sedation qualifications / apply for facility authorization
General dentists and certified specialists who intend to provide moderate sedation, deep sedation or general anesthesia must have their qualifications approved by BCCOHP.
Facilities where deep sedation and/or general anesthesia will be administered must first be inspected and authorized.
Questions?
Learn more about sedation and anesthesia here. If you have questions, please contact us.
The Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines provide oral health care providers with the knowledge of principles and standards to inform and properly implement necessary infection prevention and control measures in a safe and effective manner.
The legacy College of Dental Surgeons of BC’s Board approved the Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines at its May 2012 meeting, and the document was distributed to dentists and CDAs with the summer 2012 Sentinel.
Documentation: Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines and Infection Prevention and Control – Wall Poster
Protection of the public is better served by putting standards into place proactively rather than having to react in the event of an infection control incident.
The IPAC guidelines reflect current knowledge of the transmission of infection, and how to prevent and control it, as well as the expectations of the public and government. Wherever possible, the recommendations are based on data from well-designed scientific studies. In the absence of scientific evidence, certain recommendations are based on strong theoretical rationale, suggestive evidence or opinions of respected authorities. Some requirements are provincially and federally legislated.
The guidelines are a living document that will be updated as necessary. Dentists, dental therapists and LDAs are expected to continue to use their professional judgment in implementing them.
The IPAC guidelines were approved by the legacy CDSBC Board at the May 2012 meeting and went into effect immediately. All dentists and LDAs received a copy of the guidelines shortly after. BCCOHP now expects all dentists to implement the IPAC guidelines in their dental offices.
No. You may need to reorganize your sterilization area to facilitate organization and processing, i.e. with clear separation of clean and dirty areas with separate sections for receiving, cleaning and decontamination; preparation and packaging; sterilization; drying/cooling; and storage (p.24).
Equipment that is used to clean, disinfect or sterilize (e.g., ultrasonic washers, washer-disinfectors, sterilizers) must meet standards established by Health Canada. If your current sterilizer does not meet the time, temperature and other operating parameters recommended by the manufacturer of the sterilizer, you will need to have your sterilizer repaired or replaced (p.24).
If you are replacing your sterilizer, we recommend purchasing one with current features such as recording devices that print out cycle time, temperature and pressure (p.29).
Note: If you are using a vapo-sterilizer/chemi-clave sterilizer, there are stringent air quality controls for exposure to biological and chemical agents made under the Workers Compensation Act. See p. 24 in the guidelines for more information.
BCCOHP does not promote or endorse any specific infection control products, equipment or manufacturers. BCCOHP recommends purchasing equipment and products that will enable oral health professionals to meet the requirements of the IPAC Guidelines.
There are different options available for implementing this requirement. You can purchase your own biological monitoring system, there are commercial sterilization monitoring companies that provide this service, and there are services provided by various dental sundries suppliers that may be utilized.
Not unless your professional judgment determines that it is clinically appropriate to use a safety-engineered needle in a particular circumstance. The College’s position is based on the WorkSafeBC report “Preventing Needle Stick Injuries and the Use of Dental Safety Syringes” (2010), which found that additional design modifications are required prior to recommending universal use of currently available models of safety-engineered syringes/needles (p.19)
As with many things in the IPAC Guidelines, you must use your professional judgment. The guidelines state that if a product is received from the manufacturer who has guaranteed the instrument’s sterility, it need not be sterilized prior to initial use. Newly purchased non-sterile critical and semi-critical items must be inspected and processed according to manufacturer’s instructions prior to use. Any product that comes in a clean state that the manufacturer indicates is ready for use does not need to be sterilized provided that it is used directly from the new package (p.24).
BCCOHP’s mandate is protection of the public, and these guidelines promote protection of both the public and oral health care providers. Spatter or spray from dental procedures can contaminate the fabric of scrubs/uniforms and lab coats, and can lead to cloth-borne transmission of pathogens to people and surfaces.
It is the dentist’s responsibility to develop a policy that uniforms and scrubs worn during patient care procedures should not be worn outside the dental office (p.20).
BCCOHP policies contain information which should be considered by dentists in the care of their patients.
The Blood-Borne Pathogen Policy addressed the legacy College of Dental Surgeon of BC’s (CDSBC) requirements for registrants who are infected/affected with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV.
Read legacy CDSBC’s Blood-Borne Pathogen Policy (PDF).
The policy encourages a safe working environment and maximizes the use of measures to prevent blood-borne viral transmission to patients. The determining factor between what actions a registrant must take and whether they can safely practise is whether they are providing, or assisting with, “exposure-prone” procedures.
In the event of a registrant-to-patient blood exposure during an exposure-prone procedure, both the registrant and the patient should be tested for blood-borne viruses, and the registrant must immediately file a Critical Incident Report with BCCOHP. This applies to all BCCOHP registrants.
Legacy CDSBC also had a policy statement on the Treatment of Patients Living with HIV/AIDS (PDF).
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
