News & Updates

July 29, 2022 notice:

The following notice is for patients and members of the public, health professionals and all individuals and organizations that have an interest in dental regulation and oral health in British Columbia:  

The notice period for the proposed BC College of Oral Health Professionals (BCCOHP) Bylaws ended on July 27, 2022. The First Board has now approved the proposed bylaws and further revisions. Changes were made to refine the proposed bylaws, some of which include: 

• Clarified liability insurance for oral health professionals 
• Renamed “Patient Relations Committee” to “Patient-Centred Care Committee”  
• Adjusted the fee schedules 

BCCOHP will be seeking a shortened notice period for the revised bylaws which will run for over two weeks, ending on August 17. The new bylaws will take effect on September 1, 2022. Revisions to the proposed bylaws are identified in the red-lined document linked below.  

Below are two themes from comments received to-date and some further details: 

Theme #1: Quality assurance program for dental hygienists  

Harmonization of the quality assurance program and other individual requirements will be a priority after September 1, 2022. 

Theme #2: Having a dedicated board position for dentists 

The composition of the board has not changed in the revised bylaws; a dentist board member has two opportunities to be elected to the Board. 

Background 

The amalgamation partner colleges are the College of Dental Hygienists of BC, the College of Dental Technicians of BC, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, and the College of Denturists of BC.  

The proposed bylaws set out how BCCOHP will be structured and governed, how it will uphold its legal mandate to protect patients and the public, and the regulatory requirements for the 16,000 oral health professionals BCCOHP will regulate.  

Resources 

• View the clean version of the revised proposed bylaws  
• View the red-lined version of the revised proposed bylaws (outlines changes from the April 26, 2022 version) 
• View the red-lined version of the revised bylaw schedules 
• View the clean version of the revised bylaw schedules 
• View the companion document that includes highlights of the proposed bylaws 

 
This information is also available on the four oral health college websites (CDHBC, CDTBC, CDSBC, and CDBC).  

How to submit comment  

Thank you to everyone who submitted comments during the first notice period. We are unable to provide individual responses or additional interpretation beyond what is in the companion document, however, we will continue to gather common themes for consideration.  

Comments on the proposed bylaws for the new oral health college can be submitted by August 17 in the following ways:    

Please feel free to share this link with anyone else you think would appreciate the opportunity to review the proposed bylaws before they are finalized.   

April 26, 2022 notice:

The following notice is for patients and members of the public, health professionals and all individuals and organizations that have an interest in dental regulation and oral health in British Columbia: 

The Transition Steering Committee for the Oral Health Amalgamation Project is pleased to provide notice that the proposed bylaws for BC’s new oral health regulatory college are now available for review.  

The amalgamation partner colleges are the College of Dental Hygienists of BC, the College of Dental Technicians of BC, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, and the College of Denturists of BC. 

The proposed bylaws set out how the new oral health college will be structured and governed, how it will uphold its legal mandate to protect patients and the public, and the regulatory requirements for the 15,000 oral health professionals the new college will regulate. 

• View the proposed bylaws for the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals
• View the companion document that includes highlights of the proposed bylaws
• View the proposed schedules to the bylaws of the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals

This information is also available on the four oral health college websites (CDHBC, CDTBC, CDSBC, and CDBC). 

How to submit comment 

The notice period will run for three months, ending on July 27. Comments on the proposed bylaws for the new oral health college can be submitted in the following ways:   

Please feel free to share this link with anyone else you think would appreciate the opportunity to review the proposed bylaws before they are finalized.  

The amalgamation partner colleges are proud and excited to share that the first board appointments, as well as the proposed name and amalgamation date of the new oral health college have been made official. Effective September 1, 2022, the College of Dental Hygienists of BC, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, the College of Dental Technicians of BC and the College of Denturists of BC will be the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals (BCCOHP). With this news, we have a clear pathway to becoming a single organization.

First Board

BCCOHP’s First Board appointments are the culmination of the rigorous and determined work of the Transition Steering Committee (TSC), the legacy boards and the project team over the past two years in their unwavering support of the Minister’s recommendations for modernizing health professions regulation in BC.

The identification of the First Board to govern the new regulator is a critical step in transitioning to the amalgamated college. The First Board composition is made up of six professional members and six public members. The Minister has appointed 11 board members from the four amalgamating colleges, and one public member who is new to the regulation of oral health professions.

First Board of the BC College of Oral Health Professionals

The First Board is appointed prior to the amalgamation date for the purpose of providing an orderly transition from the four amalgamating colleges. As of September 1, 2022, BCCOHP takes accountability for regulating BC’s oral health professionals.

The First Board will work collaboratively with the TSC and the boards of the four amalgamating colleges as they will continue to regulate oral health professionals up until the amalgamation date.

With just a few weeks to go before amalgamation date, it is exciting times for the BCCOHP Board and staff team. We look forward to working together to establish a single regulator that will regulate BC’s 16,000 oral health professionals. The new college will continue to improve patient safety, increase public confidence through transparency and accountability, and promote better oral health outcomes for British Columbians. 

We are grateful for your engagement and feedback over the course of the amalgamation project, and look forward to your ongoing input and support as we transform to a modernized regulator.

Official Name and Amalgamation Date

The ministerial order approving the regulation changes, and the order in council that sets the official amalgamation date of September 1, 2022 are available online. Note that all five Health Professions Act regulations have now been amended: the Health Professions Designation and Amalgamation Regulation, the Dentists Regulation, the Dental Hygienists Regulation, the Dental Technicians Regulation and the Denturists Regulation. 

Registration, renewal, clinical and ethical practice standards, and quality assurance requirements for each oral health profession will remain generally unchanged for Day One. However, harmonization of the individual quality assurance programs and other requirements will be a priority for the new college’s first board.

Ramping Up

Much of the work on implementation over the last two years has been behind the scenes as we’ve prepared to unify our staff teams to allow the work of regulation to continue uninterrupted on Day One of the new college.

For more on the amalgamation of oral health regulators in BC, please visit the project website. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to contact us.

The following notice is for patients and members of the public, health professionals and all individuals and organizations that have an interest in dental regulation and oral health in British Columbia: 

The Transition Steering Committee for the Oral Health Amalgamation Project is pleased to provide notice that the proposed bylaws for BC’s new oral health regulatory college are now available for review.  

The amalgamation partner colleges are the College of Dental Hygienists of BC, the College of Dental Technicians of BC, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, and the College of Denturists of BC. 

The proposed bylaws set out how the new oral health college will be structured and governed, how it will uphold its legal mandate to protect patients and the public, and the regulatory requirements for the 15,000 oral health professionals the new college will regulate. 

• View the proposed bylaws for the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals
• View the companion document that includes highlights of the proposed bylaws
• View the proposed schedules to the bylaws of the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals

This information is also available on the four oral health college websites (CDHBC, CDTBC, CDSBC, and CDBC). 

How to submit comment 

The notice period will run for three months, ending on July 27. Comments on the proposed bylaws for the new oral health college can be submitted in the following ways:   

Please feel free to share this link with anyone else you think would appreciate the opportunity to review the proposed bylaws before they are finalized.  

Today BC’s Ministry of Health published notice of proposed amendments to the Health Professions Act regulations for oral health professions, paving the way for the creation of a new regulatory body that will oversee 15,000 oral health professionals in the province.

The proposed name of the new college is the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals, and the proposed date of amalgamation is September 1, 2022.

Once the notice period has ended, government can approve the amendments which would allow the creation of the new regulatory college for oral health professionals.

This would mean that certified dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dentists, dental technicians and denturists would be regulated by the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals effective September 1, 2022.

The amalgamation partners are the College of Dental Hygienists of BC, the College of Dental Technicians of BC, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, and the College of Denturists of BC.

How to provide feedback on the proposed regulatory amendments

You can read the Ministry’s notice of the proposed regulatory amendments here.

The Ministry’s notice period for these proposed regulatory amendments begins on April 4, 2022 and the Ministry has requested feedback as soon as possible. Please submit feedback on the proposed changes to PROREGADMIN@gov.bc.ca.

More information about the amalgamation project

You can read more about the amalgamation to create a single oral health regulatory college here. Questions about the amalgamation project can be submitted via our contact form and will be used to develop a list of frequently asked questions for registrants, patients and the public, and other stakeholders.

This new oral health regulatory college will be a single large regulatory body with ample resources and expertise in the regulation of all six types of oral health professionals. It will facilitate collaborative, team-based oral health care for British Columbians, and will provide a single source of contact for patients, the public, and the health professionals it regulates.

We are reaching out to you, as a registrant, to gather your perceptions and understanding on a number of topics related to the creation of a single oral health regulator.

The College of Dental Hygienists of BC (CDHBC), and College of Dental Technicians of BC (CDTBC), the College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC) and College of Denturists of BC (CDBC) have agreed to pursue amalgamation and create a single oral health regulator that will govern the six oral health professions in the public interest.

As you will have learned from our joint letter from August 2020, this decision to amalgamate is informed by the government’s larger regulatory modernization effort.

As the work progresses, the colleges are committed to ongoing timely and transparent communication with you, as oral health professionals, and the public. An understanding of your views on the amalgamation will guide our planning and ensure meaningful communication as the process moves forward.

Information about the amalgamation can be found on our website here. We hope you will participate in this process by reading the backgrounder and engaging with us in one of the ways below.

How to participate and earn CE credits
Small group meetings will be held online in February. Led by an independent facilitator, these meetings provide the opportunity for registrants to engage in a discussion about:

• the challenges and opportunities of forming a single regulator for oral health professionals, and
• the impacts of amalgamation on you as a registrant.

Meeting participants are eligible for two CE credits.
There will be separate meetings for each category of oral health care professional. We will be seeking a balance of perspectives from around the province; to include different levels of experience, different types of practice, and geographic and cultural diversity to participate in focused online group meetings. As these are small group meetings there are a limited number of seats to ensure meaningful dialogue; however, the initial discussions of these small groups will inform an upcoming survey of all registrants.

If you would like to participate in one of the small group meetings, please express your interest by filling out the form here (the form is now closed).

Input gathered from these meetings will be used to develop an on-line survey that will be sent to all registrants of the four colleges. If you are not able to participate in a small group meeting, please watch for our survey, which will be sent to all registrants of all four colleges in April.

A summary report will be shared with the leaders of the amalgamation project at the four oral health colleges and all information will be carefully considered as we move forward in this process.

Read the joint statement from B.C.’s four dental colleges in response to proposed changes to the regulation of oral health care in B.C. announced by the Minister of Health on August 27, 2020.