BCDHA STUDENT RESOURCES
Continuing Competency in B.C.
In 2022, following the amalgamation of BC’s oral health colleges, BCCOHP committed to creating an equitable Quality Assurance Program (QAP) for all oral health professionals. In 2025, BCCOHP released a proposed new QAP framework for consultation, which closed in August 2025 and is now in the development phase. You can learn more about the proposed QAP framework at the following link: https://oralhealthbc.ca/get-involved-engage-with-us/qa-consult/
The current Quality Assurance Program (QAP) for dental hygienists, often called the “legacy QAP,” remains in place throughout 2025. Once the new BCCOHP QAP is launched, it will fully replace the existing program, and all related requirements will be updated here to reflect the information provided about QAP requirements for BCCOHP registrants.
Until then, the legacy QAP for dental hygienists includes the following components:
Dental hygiene registrants have a 5-year QAP Program cycle that includes the following components at different times of the cycle.
- QAP Assessment Tool (Assessment tool)
- 75 Continuing Education credits
- Online learning plan (OLP)
As a recent DH graduate (someone who has completed DH education at an accredited program within the last year, passed the NDHCE within the last year, and has not been previously registered as a DH in another jurisdiction) you will be assigned specific content categories in your OLP that must be completed prior to the end of your 5-year QAP cycle to continue to practice dental hygiene in BC.
How do I learn more about the QAP program?
BCCOHP has an excellent resource outlining the entire Quality Assurance program that you can access on their website under Dental Hygiene Quality Assurance.
How do I know what qualifies as CE or how many credits I can claim for CE in my OLP?
BCCOHP has a framework of suggestions that outline the category and how many credits you can claim per activity. You can access the framework at the end of the QAP info guide on page 81-82.
How do I understand what content maps to the OLP categories I have been assigned?
Dental hygienists in BC can determine what learning fits best in the OLP, and can use the following document to ensure the content matches their OLP learning categories. Learn more here.
At the end of my five-year cycle, are there any resources available to help me study for the QAP Assessment tool?
In the QAP information guide, BCCOHP has a detailed list of resources for registrants to study in preparation for their QAP exam. BCDHA has compiled a document containing links to each mentioned resource, facilitating easy access during your exam preparation.