Regulatory Functions

Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, and Guidelines

The Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice provide direction to health professionals in the practice of their profession. The Code of Ethics is a set of principles of professional conduct which guides all dental hygienists and establishes the expectations for dental hygienists in fulfilling duties to their clients, to the public, and to the profession. Standards of Practice set the minimum levels of professional behaviour and conduct of regulated health professionals.

Guidelines are intended to complement professional decision-making and should be used in conjunction with a dental hygienist’s professional judgment. The College’s Guidelines do not describe how to perform dental hygiene services but rather assist dental hygienists in meeting the Standards of Practice.

The College routinely reviews and updates the Standards of Practice and Guidelines to ensure they are current and aligned with industry standards, applicable laws, and regulations. The following documents are approved and available on the College’s website:

ACDH Code of Ethics

• Code of Ethics
• Guidelines for the Code of Ethics

ACDH Standards of Practice

• Administration of Local Anaesthesia
• Advertising
• Clinical Therapy
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Conflicts of Interest
• Continuing Competence
• Continuity of Care
• Documentation
• Drugs: General
• Drugs: Prescribing Schedule 1 Drugs
• Duty to Report
• Evidence-informed Practice
• Informed Consent
• Ionizing Radiation
• Patient-centred Approach
• Privacy and Confidentiality
• Professional Accountability
• Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct
• Record Management
• Restricted Activities
• Safety and Risk Management
• Supervision of Restricted Activities

ACDH Guidelines

• Advertising
• Artificial Intelligence
• Clinical Therapy
• Continuity of Care
• Drugs and Natural Health Products
• Duty to Report
• Fees and Billing
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Informed Consent
• Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Conscious Sedation
• Prescribing Schedule 1 Drugs
• Preventing Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct Towards Patients
• Privacy and the Patient Record
• Professional Boundaries

Regulatory Advisors

Regulatory advisors have continued to play an important role in supporting the College’s regulatory mandate. They offer valuable regulatory guidance to the public, employers, organizations, and dental hygienists, helping them understand and access legislative documents and directing them to essential resources.

In the 2024–2025 permit year, the regulatory advisors responded to over 750 inquiries either through phone or email communications. Most inquiries were related to dental hygiene practice and compliance with regulatory requirements. Some common topics included infection prevention and control (IPC), clinical therapy, and billing. The regulatory team also responds to individuals who are interested in practice ownership or who own a practice and are looking for information or clarification on specific legislative or regulated topics.

The following table outlines the incoming calls and emails by topic and frequency from November 1, 2024 – October 31, 2025:

The data collected from these calls and emails is highly valuable in helping the College develop and refine regulatory documents and resources. Based on these inquiries, the regulatory team created regulatory resources such as guidelines and frequently asked questions (FAQs) to support registrants in their practice of dental hygiene. These resources include:

• fees and billing guidelines;
• FAQs on the Practice Resources webpage, including topics on oral sedation, authorization for restricted activities, safety syringes and recapped waste needles, radiography, and laser use;
• the Practice Ownership webpage; and
• FAQs for renewal on the topic of practice hours.

The Regulation Matters electronic newsletter continues to be sent to registrants throughout the year as an awareness and information resource. Topics during the 2024–2025 registration year included navigating ACDH regulatory documents and applying them in practice, safety and risk management in dental hygiene practice, and routine practices and point-of-care risk assessments.

Continuing Competence Program

Each registrant on the general register must meet the Continuing Competence Program (CCP) requirements as set out in the College’s Continuing Competence Program Standard of Practice and Program Manual (available on the ACDH website). A registrant must earn 45 CCP credits (one credit = one hour of learning activity) in each three-year reporting period. A registrant’s reporting period begins on November 1 following their initial date of registration with the ACDH.

Registrants self-report their credits in the registrant portal. Registrants must have evidence of obtaining 45 CCP credits in their three-year reporting period to renew their practice permit. The CCP also includes mandatory completion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training annually. At annual renewal, all applications are reviewed for compliance with the CCP requirements.

In 2025, the College launched a new learning management system to deliver educational regulatory content for Alberta dental hygienists. Five free courses were immediately available to registrants to support their ongoing learning. Course topics include documentation, privacy and confidentiality, jurisprudence, an introduction to regulation, and protecting patients from sexual abuse and misconduct.

Work on the Continuing Competence Program redesign continued in alignment with Strategic Priority A of our strategic plan: Advance the Continuing Competence Program to support registrants in enhancing their delivery of safe, high-quality care.

Through two surveys and a range of online and in-person engagement sessions across Alberta, registrants shared their strong commitment to patient well-being and the dental hygiene profession, and they emphasized the importance of a CCP that is accessible, autonomous, learning-oriented, and proactive.

Registrants also provided valuable insight into which learning approaches are perceived as most effective in supporting professional growth and proactively reducing risks to patient care. This feedback will guide the CCP redesign in 2026 and 2027, building on what is working well in the current program while better reflecting the diverse needs and practice realities of registrants. More information about the status of the redesign is available on the ACDH website.

Entry-to-Practice Examinations

National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination

The National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE) is a written exam that tests the level of knowledge, judgment, and skills expected at the entry-to-practice level for dental hygienists in Canada and is administered by the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada (FDHRC). Successful completion of the NDHCE is a legislated requirement for registration with the ACDH. The examination is offered three times each year in multiple sites across Canada. The ACDH is a member and director on the FDHRC Board and has shared oversight of the NDHCE with the other provinces.

Jurisprudence Examination

Applicants for registration with the ACDH are required to successfully pass the jurisprudence examination approved by Council.

Delivered through the College’s learning management system, the ACDH’s jurisprudence examination is an online, on-demand course consisting of three modules: regulation, the role of the College, and registrant responsibilities. Each module includes multiple interactive learning activities and a module-specific exam. Applicants must review all module content and answer all exam questions correctly to successfully complete each module and meet the requirements for registration. Applicants may repeat the learning activities as many times as needed to support successful completion.

Clinical Examinations or Assessments

Applicants for registration may need to complete a performance exam, test, or assessment to help determine if their qualifications and competencies are substantially equivalent to what is required to graduate from the Council-approved Alberta benchmark program at the University of Alberta.

The assessments that may be used to determine entry-level competence are the Canadian Performance Examination in Dental Hygiene (CPEDH) or the Clinical Competence Assessment (CCA). The CPEDH was developed through a partnership of the regulatory colleges of BC, Ontario, and Alberta and is now administered through the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada (FDHRC). The CCA was developed and is administered by Continuing Dental Education, Mike Petryk School of Dentistry, at the University of Alberta.

The ACDH uses these assessments when required to ensure that applicants demonstrate the necessary competence to provide dental hygiene services safely to the Alberta public. Those applying for registration under the labour mobility provisions of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) are generally not required to complete a performance exam, test, or assessment to demonstrate competence.