Published November 5, 2025
Updated January 9, February 25, and April 1, 2026
One of the three main ways BCCOHP protects the public is by ensuring that oral health professionals are able to practise competently throughout their careers. This work is carried out through our Quality Assurance Program (QAP). A modernized QAP for all oral health professionals rolls out in April 2026.
The set of questions and answers below were originally assembled in November 2025 to address points of interest that emerged through the consultation on the framework for a modernized QAP. They were updated in 2026 as more information on the modernized program is communicated to oral health professionals and are now organized into the following themes:
For more information and background, please refer to the links below:
BCCOHP is modernizing the Quality Assurance Program (QAP) to better support oral health professionals in staying competent and accountable throughout their careers. This work is part of BCCOHP’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan and is required under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) Part 3 Division 8. Modernizing the QAP helps us strengthen public protection and support all oral health professionals in maintaining safe, ethical and patient-centered care.
BCCOHP inherited four different QAPs from the legacy colleges. Each program with its own requirements, which limits consistency, equity and transparency across the oral health team. These legacy programs rely heavily on collecting credits, include tools with limited regulatory defensibility, and contribute to confusion and disengagement with the program. The modernized QAP replaces the four legacy programs with one consistent approach for all oral health professionals. It moves away from credit-based requirements and toward reflective, standards-linked and risk-informed learning, an approach that supported by current research and emphasizes ongoing competence as a core aspect of public protection.
In developing the modernized QAP, BCCOHP drew on legislative requirements, evidence about what supports ongoing competence, and evolving public expectations for clear, consistent standards across professions and practice settings.
Through modernization, BCCOHP aims to:
See also: How does the modernized QAP improve public protection and patient care?
See also: Guiding Principles (PDF)
Yes. All oral health professionals will complete the same QAP.
Under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) (div.8), BCCOHP must establish a QAP that promotes ongoing competence of oral health professionals in the public interest. The modernized QAP meets this requirement by focusing on competent and ethical practice rather than counting credit hours or courses.
All oral health professionals complete the same QAP because it is built around BCCOHP Standards, which apply across all professions and practice settings. This includes oral health professionals at all stages of their careers, including new graduates and those newly registered in British Columbia. While the QAP structure is consistent for all oral health professionals, each professional’s goals and learning activities reflect their own practice, experience, and scope.
Together, the components of the modernized QAP create clear, consistent expectations for safe and competent care, while still allowing flexibility for meaningful, personalized professional development.
See also: How do the BCCOHP Standards guide the modernized QAP and my professional learning?
The QAP supports public protection by strengthening the connection between professional standards, ongoing learning, and day-to-day practice.
BCCOHP Standards outline what for safe, ethical and accountable care looks like. The QAP helps oral health professionals reflect on these standards, identify learning needs, and apply their knowledge in practice. Research, including patient experience data and multisource feedback literature, shows that reflective practice, guided learning, and standards-linked approaches are more effective at improving professional performance and patient experience than credit-based models.
The QAP also follows principles of right-touch, risk-informed regulation. This means requirements are proportionate and focused where the risk to the public is greatest.
See also: What is right-touch regulation?
The research phase of the project considered evidence which shaped the program’s underlying design, emphasizing:
During the research phase, BCCOHP engaged external subject matter experts and research to inform the approach toward building a modernized QAP. This evidence-informed foundation guided the draft framework that was shared for consultation with oral health professionals and the public, connecting research, regulatory requirements and the goal of patient-centred and competent care.
For an overview of how the evidence related to each of components A, B and C shows up, refer to the consultation materials (scroll down to the expandable accordion tab called “+Evidence-informed framework” under “supplementary materials”).
The research phase considered various quality assurance assessment methods. The Program framework only incorporated quality assurance assessment and activities identified through the research as most promising (Table 1). A notable change resulting from this approach is that certain longstanding components of legacy QAPs (such as quantified continuing professional development, currency and active practice hours) are not included in the Program.
Table 1: Most promising quality assurance assessments and activities
Assessment/Activity | Best use / description | Features |
Written quizzes | Follow online modules as “assessment for learning” for all oral health professionals |
|
Guided self-reflections and self-reports | Core reflection activity in Quality Assurance Program for all oral health professionals |
|
Continuing professional development annual self-reports | Link continuing professional development activities to professional goals and BCCOHP Professional and Practice Standards |
|
Dashboard | Provide oral health professionals with practice insights and trends |
|
Patient surveys | Individual or team assessment tool |
|
These findings formed the foundation for the QAP framework that was shared for consultation in 2025. The framework introduced three components designed to promote competence and patient safety across the oral health team:
See also: Section 4
Right-touch regulation means choosing regulatory actions that match the level of risk. It focuses on what is necessary to protect the public without adding extra requirements that could get in the way of delivering quality care.
This approach seeks to balance professional autonomy with regulatory oversight. It recognizes the expertise of health care professionals while stepping in when needed to address risks to the public. These principles guide BCCOHP’s approach to regulatory decision-making, including how the modernized QAP was designed.
See also: Why is BCCOHP modernizing the Quality Assurance Program?
All pre-existing program requirements and assessments ended on December 31, 2025.
For those whose QA cycle ended December 31, 2025, any outstanding requirements from the pre-existing programs had to be completed and submitted by March 31, 2026, in order to renew with BCCOHP by the annual deadline. Refer here for more information about winding down the pre-existing programs.
The QAP operates each year from April 1 to March 31.
All oral health professionals complete:
Component C applies only to a select group of oral health professionals who are identified through the audit process.
See also: What is Component A and what does it involve?
On average, Component A and B together take approximately 8-10 hours annually. This is an estimate as each oral health professional’s learning style varies. However, it does not include continuing professional development activities that may arise from the guided self-reflections.
Component A: About 4 hours (not including time spent on continuing professional development)
Component B: About 4-6 hours
Component C: N/A
See also: What is Component B and how do knowledge checks work?
The modernized QAP replaces four legacy programs with one unified program, improving efficiency. Legacy program fees no longer apply. Oral health professionals remain responsible for the costs of any continuing professional development they choose or are advised to complete.
See also: Is CPD still required even though credits are no longer tracked?
Under the HPOA, CPD means “continuing professional development” and refers to activities or programs undertaken to ensure that professional knowledge, skills, and abilities remain current. CPD includes continuing education (CE), continuing competency (CC), and other learning that supports ongoing competence.
See also: What is Component A and what does it involve?
Yes. The modernized QAP still emphasizes ongoing professional learning. However, oral health professionals will not be required to report a specific number of credits or hours.
CPD remains a core professional and ethical responsibility. BCCOHP Standard 2.7 requires all oral health professionals to maintain the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to provide safe, ethical, and responsible care throughout their careers, not just to meet QAP requirements.
Component A supports this obligation by allowing oral health professionals to select and participate in CPD that is relevant to their individual practice context and identified learning needs, rather than completing CPD simply to collect credits.
Conferences, courses, workshops, and other learning opportunities remain valuable when they support professional goals and safe practice.
See also: What is Component A and what does it involve?
The BCCOHP Standards are the foundation of the modernized QAP. They guide how the program is designed and help ensure safe, ethical, and responsible care across all professions and practice settings.
Oral health professionals use the Standards to reflect on their knowledge, skills, and abilities, and identify where further learning would be helpful. The Standards also support goal setting and help professionals choose CPD activities that are most relevant to their practice context and learning needs.
Through Components A and B of the modernized QAP, along with Component C if indicated, oral health professionals engage in guided self-reflection, standards-linked learning activities, and knowledge application. Together these components help reinforce a strong understanding of the BCCOHP Standards and support their use in day-to-day practice.
See also: The remainder of Section 4
Component A helps oral health professionals reflect on their practice context, identify areas of development, and plan learning that supports ongoing competence. Component A supports learning through two guided self-reflection processes that are linked to practice context and BCCOHP Standards.
As part of Component A, oral health professionals:
This reflective process helps oral health professionals choose learning that fits their role, scope, and career stage.
Based on self-inventory responses, oral health professionals may see general prompts or examples to support reflection. These are meant to spark thinking, not direct specific actions. BCCOHP does not recommend specific learning activities, courses, or providers. Professional judgement remains essential.
Professional goals are informed by the Standards self-reflection and may relate to clinical skills, communication, professionalism, cultural safety, teamwork, record keeping, or other areas of practice. Learning activities should be chosen to support these goals and the individual’s practice needs.
Goals guide learning for that QAP year. Not completing a goal within the year does not lead to consequences on its own. What matters is meaningful engagement in reflection, goal setting, and learning aligned with BCCOHP Standards.
The reflective model expects thoughtful engagement. Oral health professionals may describe how learning informed their understanding or influenced their practice. The focus is on alignment with Standards and genuine engagement, not on a specific documentation format. Additional guidance on reporting tools will be shared as the program rolls out.
Research shows that patient/peer experience surveys offer helpful insights into areas that support safe and respectful care, such as communication, professionalism, teamwork, and cultural safety. The survey is optional and supports reflection and learning, not evaluation. Survey data is visible only to the oral health professional; BCCOHP sees only anonymized, aggregated trends.
Guided self-reflection is relevant at all career stages. Even experienced oral health professionals benefit from structured reflection, which supports accountability, awareness of evolving standards, and ongoing competence. Individual self-reflection responses and survey feedback remain private to the oral health professional, with only anonymized information used to understand system-level trends and improve the program.
See also: How do the BCCOHP Standards guide the modernized QAP and my professional learning?
See also: QAP Overview (PDF)
Component B supports oral health professionals strengthen their understanding of BCCOHP Standards and how those expectations apply in practice.
It includes module-based learning activities, each focused on specific Standards. The modules support a shared understanding across the oral health team while still being relevant to different roles and practice contexts. While the core expectations are the same across professions, examples and scenarios may reflect a range of roles and settings to support practice applications.
Each module also includes knowledge checks. These are designed as “assessment for learning;” their purpose is to reinforce understanding and help professionals apply the Standards. They do not function as high-stakes testing.
Knowledge checks:
This structure supports consistent understanding of BCCOHP Standards across professions while allowing oral health professionals to engage with the material at their own pace.
See also: What is Component A and what does it involve?
See also: QAP Overview (PDF)
Component C provides individualized, supportive follow-up for oral health professionals who may benefit from additional guidance to demonstrate competence in alignment with BCCOHP Standards. It reflects right-touch regulation by keeping requirements proportionate, collaborative, and educational, with a focus on public safety. The goal is to support oral health professionals confidently apply the Standards and maintain safe, ethical, patient-centred care.
Oral health professionals may be identified for Component C through the QAP audit process, which is designed to be fair and consistent. Identification may occur through:
Component C is not meant to repeatedly audit the same individuals without purpose; processes are designed to be fair, consistent, and proportionate.
The focus of Component C is supportive engagement, not formal testing. It may involve discussion, reflection, and guidance related to learning needs connected to BCCOHP Standards. Successful completion is based on participation, reflective engagement, and reasonable efforts to set goals and address identified gaps. The emphasis is on learning and applying knowledge in practice.
Component C may also confirm whether required QAP activities, such as Components A and B, have been completed. This relates only to participation and engagement, not to the personal content of self-reflections. Individual reflection responses remain private and are not accessed or used for evaluation or discipline.
The QAP is a learning and quality assurance program. It is separate from complaints, investigation, or disciplinary processes, which follow their own regulatory pathways. However, participation in QAP activities is required and non-compliance may be addressed through BCCOHP’s regulatory processes, which operate under separate legislative authorities and procedures.
As the program evolves, BCCOHP may introduce technology-enabled improvements to support administration, learning, and engagement. Any refinements would be developed with attention to privacy, fairness, and the supportive intent of Component C.
See also: Who are Quality Assurance Assessors?
See also: QAP Overview (PDF)
Quality Assurance (QA) Assessors are trained oral health professionals who act as supportive peers in the QAP. They help oral health professionals understand the BCCOHP Standards, reflect on their practice, set realistic goals, and identify helpful next steps. Assessors are selected using criteria set by BCCOHP under the HPOA. Each Assessor comes from the same profession as the oral health professionals they support, ensuring guidance is relevant, fair, and profession specific.
The role of a QA Assessor reflects the educational and supportive purpose of the modernized QAP. Their recommendations help guide next steps within Component C with focuses on learning and competence, not discipline. Participation in QAP processes, including engagement with Component C where required, is a regulatory expectation.
QA Assessors provide guidance and support; they do not conduct disciplinary investigations. If concerns arise, established regulatory processes apply. A QA Assessor may notify a QA Officer for consideration of further action in specific circumstances, including when an oral health professional:
In situations suggesting a potential public health hazard or patient safety risk, appropriate public health channels may be notified.
These steps reflect BCCOHP’s broader public protection responsibilities under the HPOA.
See also: What is Component C and who participates?
Yes. Oral health professionals in British Columbia have the right to request accommodation when participating in the QAP.
Accommodation requests are based on a current diagnosis or other protected grounds recognized under the BC Human Rights Code. Supporting documentation is required, and BCCOHP will maintain a process for reviewing and considering these requests.
The QAP’s digital learning platform is also designed with accessibility in mind. Inclusive technology practices help support participation regardless of location or learning needs. Key accessibility considerations include:
These features aim to make the QAP equitable, user-friendly, and adaptable to diverse professional and individual needs.
See also: How much time does the QAP take each year?
