Q1. The CDSBC Bylaws require a certain number of practice hours over a three-year period. What three years are you referring to?

A. The hours of practice being considered fall in the three years preceding the renewal year. For renewal of practising status in 2013, the timeframe for continuous practice hours is January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2012.

A. If a dentist or a CDA does not have the required number of hours for renewal of their practising registration/certification, or if they wish to transfer to practicing status after being out for an extended period of time, they may submit a proposal to the Registration Committee (dentists) or the CDA Certification Committee (CDAs) outlining what they propose to do to demonstrate their competency. This might include successful completion of an exam, course, or other approved education and/or clinical mentorship. The Committees will approve proposals on an individual basis.

For dentists who do not have the required continuous practice hours and wish to hold practising registration, an application (below) and letter should be submitted to the Registration Committee outlining specific circumstances, along with a proposal for establishing competence, if applicable.

Dentist Continuous Practice Proposal Application Form

For CDAs who do not have the required continuous practice hours and wish to hold practising certification, an application (below) along with your written proposal should be submitted to the Certification Committee. Your proposal may include: a guided mentorship in a dental practice with defined expectations, completion of the National Dental Assisting Examining Board two-part written and Clinical Practice Evaluation (CPE), or completion of an approved clinical refresher course.

Vancouver Community College - Certified Dental Assistant Refresher Course

CDA Continuous Practice Proposal Application Form

A. No. The requirement for continuous practice applies to all dentists and CDAs, regardless of their individual circumstances. The underlying principle behind the continuous practice requirement is safety of the public. For this reason, dentists and CDAs who don’t meet the requirement will be unable to renew their practicing registration/certification in 2013. Renewal as a non-practising dentist or CDA is available for those not practising and may be held indefinitely.

A. The full continuous practice requirement works out to approximately 25 hours of work per month for dentists over a three-year period. For CDAs, it works out to approximately 17 hours of work per month over the three years. The following table may be helpful in calculating the hours you have worked based on working an 8 hour day for 48 weeks per year.

Days worked per week	1 year total	3 year total
1	384 hours	1152 hours
2	768 hours	2304 hours
3	1152 hours	3456 hours
4	1536 hours	4608 hours
5	1920 hours	5760 hours

A. A dentist or a CDA may hold non-practising registration/certification indefinitely.

However, if they want to regain practising status, they will be required to meet the Quality Assurance requirements in place at that time. Note that after an extended absence of ten or more years, educational credentials may not be recognized.

A. CDSBC may grant temporary registration/certification to allow the dentist or CDA to perform restricted activities as part of their accepted proposals (see Question 2, above). Continuous practice requirements do not have to be clinical hours. The requirement can also be met through non-clinical activities such as teaching and research.