Inquiry Process

To fulfil the mandate of protecting and serving the public as outlined by the Health Professions Act (HPA) and CDHBC bylaws, the College of Dental Hygienists of B.C. will investigate complaints made against its registrants to determine accountability and suitable consequences, which may include suspension of registration and/or mandatory skills development activities. The College also may initiate the inquiry process by its own motion, in cases where there is reason to believe a registrant may be in violation of any CDHBC bylaws, including Practice Standards or the Code of Ethics.

Duty to Report

A dental hygienist who believes the behaviour of another is not in the best interest of the client or public has a professional obligation to report the observed incident(s) to the appropriate agency; there is no standard of proof required to file a complaint. The inquiry process is also structured to serve members of the public or employers who are concerned as to whether a specific dental hygienist is providing safe and competent client care.

Upon receiving a written complaint, the Registrar will notify the respondent (registrant) and forward an initial assessment to the Inquiry Committee, who will then investigate the claim in accordance with Part III of the HPA. Both the complainant and the respondent will be notified of the investigation outcome and any action(s) taken. This may include a Discipline Committee hearing, which is implemented under the Registrar’s recommendation. See Part V of the College bylaws for more information.

Professional Misconduct

In addition to reporting unsafe or substandard procedures, complaints may pertain to sexual misconduct or other inappropriate activities within the practice environment. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • practicing the profession while impaired by a physical or mental ailment or while impaired by alcohol or drugs;
  • providing information about a client to a person other than the client, or to the client’s representative without consent;
  • falsifying a record relating to the registrant’s practice;
  • submitting a false or misleading account or charge for services;
  • contravening a term, condition, or limitation imposed on the registrant’s certificate of registration.
 

Records of Decision

The results of CDHBC Inquiry and Discipline Committee hearings will be published regularly via this website, the ACCESS newsletter, and/or Registrant’s Handbook amendments; in some cases, such as when a serious breach of professionalism has occurred, the registrant’s name will be included along with a description of, and reasons for, the disciplinary actions taken. However, the Committees may also recommend that certain information is withheld to protect the complainant’s interests or when the privacy interests of the registrant outweigh the public interest.