Announcing the first board, name and effective date for BC’s new oral health regulatory college

To all certified dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dentists, registered dental technicians and denturists, 

I am 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

Public members of the BCCOHP Board
Name	Position	Legacy college board
Carl Roy	Board chair	College of Dental Surgeons of BC
Julie Akeroyd	Public board member	College of Dental Hygienists of BC
Marion Erickson	Public board member	N/A
Pat Dooley	Public board member	College of Denturists of BC College of Dental Technicians of BC
Rachel Ling	Public board member	College of Dental Technicians of BC
Shirley Ross	Public board member	College of Dental Surgeons of BC
Oral health professional members of the BCCOHP Board
Name	Position	Legacy college board
Dr. Alexander Hird	Registrant board member (Dentist)	College of Dental Surgeons of BC
Amandeep Singh	Registrant board member (Dental Technician)	College of Dental Technicians of BC
Cathy Larson	Certified Dental Assistant board member	College of Dental Surgeons of BC
Elizabeth (Lise) Cavin	Registrant board member (Dental Hygienist)	College of Dental Hygienists of BC
Kim Trottier	Registrant board member (Dental Therapist)	College of Dental Surgeons of BC
Michelle Nelson	Registrant board member (Denturist)	College of Denturists of BC

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

You can read the ministerial order approving the regulation changes, and the order in council that sets the official amalgamation date of September 1, 2022. 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.

Key changes for oral health professionals as of Sept 1, 2022   – BCCOHP’s website – BCCOHP’s contact information  – The visual identity of BCCOHP – There will be a single process for investigating and resolving complaints about oral health professionals	What is not changing for oral health professionals as of Sept 1, 2022 – Registration and renewal fees  – Current standards for clinical and ethical practice – Current quality assurance requirements
What oral health professionals can expect in the months after Sept 1, 2022   – Harmonization of quality assurance requirements will be a priority for the first board – Review and update of clinical and ethical standards for practice

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 information 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.

Warmly,

This is an update for all oral health professionals regulated by the four regulatory colleges that are pursuing amalgamation — and who will be regulated by the new single oral health regulatory college. This includes certified dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental technicians, dentists and denturists.  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.