Practice Enhancement Tool

The Practice Enhancement Tool (PET) is a key component of the Quality Assurance Program under the Dentistry Act. It is an independent, online assessment designed to evaluate a dentist’s knowledge, skills, and judgment through a series of multiple-choice questions.

Who Must Complete the PET?

All dentists are required to complete the PET:

  • Five years after initial registration with the RCDSO.
  • Every five years thereafter.

This requirement applies to dentists holding a general, specialty, or academic certificate of practice.

How the PET Works

Dentists selected for the PET will receive questions from six competency areas, chosen from the following list:

  • Caries
  • Dental anesthesia
  • Endodontics
  • Infection prevention and control
  • Jurisprudence and ethics
  • Medical emergencies
  • Operative (restorative) dentistry
  • Oral medicine and pathology
  • Oral surgery
  • Orthodontics
  • Pediatric dentistry
  • Periodontics
  • Pharmacology
  • Prosthodontics
  • Public health
  • Radiology

Specialty Considerations

Dentists who hold a specialty certificate in:

  • Dental anesthesia
  • Endodontics
  • Oral and maxillofacial surgery
  • Oral medicine
  • Oral pathology
  • Oral radiology
  • Orthodontics
  • Pediatric dentistry
  • Periodontics
  • Prosthodontics

will be assessed on their specialty area, plus five additional competency areas most relevant to their practice.

Resources to guide you

  1. Frequently asked questions is a curated collection of common inquiries about the PET, including getting started, navigating, submitting, reviewing results and following up.
  2. PET user guide provides detailed, step-by-step instructions with screen shots.
  3. PET resources is a compilation of common textbooks and journals that may be used to prepare.
  4. Recorded demonstration is a 15-minute video that walks through navigating the PET platform.
  5. Live drop-in sessions are hosted on Zoom on a regular basis. The next session is on December 3.

For additional information, please email pet@rcdso.org. We will contact you within two business days.