The following update is for all oral health professionals in BC.
2023/24 annual renewal is coming
Oral health professionals will be able to renew your registration/certification with BCCOHP online beginning in early February 2023, with a deadline of March 31, 2023.
Fees will remain unchanged for registrants and certified dental assistants applying for renewal for the 12-month period from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
What’s changed
- Certified dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental therapists and dentists: your renewal deadline has changed from February 28, 2023 to March 31, 2023, to reflect BCCOHP’s fiscal year beginning on April 1. This means that:
- your registration/certification will not lapse on February 28, 2023.
- you will see one additional month added to the fees due upon renewal.
- Dental hygienists: you will no longer automatically pay for association membership or liability insurance as part of the registration/renewal process. BCCOHP has discontinued the collection of membership fees for the British Columbia Dental Hygienists Association effective September 1, 2022, including liability (negligence) insurance fees.
- You will need to renew liability insurance separately and will be required to show proof as part of the renewal process. Please contact your policy provider for information about insurance renewal.
About renewal
The BCCOHP Bylaws require registrants and certified dental assistants to renew your 2023/24 registration or certification by Friday, March 31, 2023.
You will be notified by email when the online renewal system opens in February. To renew, log in to your account, complete the forms and pay your renewal fees.
Renewal fees for registrants and certified dental assistants are set out in the BCCOHP Bylaws (Schedule A).
To renew, please ensure the following is current:
- Quality assurance requirements are met (those who need to take action with respect to their quality assurance cycles ending have been notified via email)
- Contact information
- Liability insurance (for dental hygienists, dental technicians, dentists and denturists)
- Criminal record check (those who need to take action have been notified via email)
More information
If you have questions about any of the information provided, please review the Registration and Renewal webpage, or email registration@oralhealthbc.ca.
Quality assurance deadline
Registrants and certified dental assistants whose quality assurance cycle ends before the 2023/24 renewal period still have time to meet the requirements. Below is a list of deadlines:
| Registration/certification class | Quality assurance deadline |
|---|---|
| Certified dental assistants, dentists, dental therapists and dental hygienists | December 31, 2022 |
| Dental technicians | February 28, 2023 |
| Denturists | March 31, 2023 |
More information
Unsure if you meet the requirements? Log in to your account.
For further information and/or assistance, please use our contact form, email ce@oralhealthbc.ca, or call 672-202-0448 (toll free 1-888-202-0448).
First oral health professionals engagement study
BCCOHP is launching our first engagement study of oral health professionals in early 2023. This supports the Board’s priority to harmonize regulatory processes, including quality assurance.
The engagement study will ask oral health professionals about your experiences and perceptions of BCCOHP, including renewal, quality assurance and practice guidelines. The study will be conducted by a third-party research firm, Pivotal Research.
The study has two phases:
Phase 1: February 2023
- An online panel with participants from the different oral health professional types will explore the topic areas in order to inform a survey of all oral health professionals.
Phase 2: April 2023
- All oral health professionals will be invited to provide input through an online survey. The results will support the harmonization of regulatory functions, including quality assurance.
This engagement study will frame and inform a number of planned initiatives in a structured and sustainable way. Further information will be shared in the new year.
Opportunity for BCCOHP registrants to administer influenza vaccines
To help meet the need for additional health professionals to support BC’s influenza immunization strategy, the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) posted an order that lists the authorized health professionals who are able to administer influenza vaccines in public health clinics. This includes dental hygienists, dental therapists and dentists.
Full details, including mandatory training requirements, are outlined in the order.
The Regulated and Unregulated Health Professionals Influenza Immunization Order builds on a previous order which permitted health professionals referred to in that order to perform immunization activities in the course of a SARS-CoV-2 immunization program. This new order expands the scope of practice for the pool of professionals able to participate in mass immunizations to include influenza vaccines.
Holiday closure
BCCOHP will be closed for the holiday break from 12 p.m. on Friday, December 23, 2022 until 8 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
In the event of a critical incident, an emergency involving patient safety, or for registrants with health concerns, please call 672-202-0448 and press 7 to reach the Registrar’s Office.