The Standards of Practice set out legal, professional, and ethical obligations of dentists in Ontario. They support dentists and protect the public by clearly stating the College’s expectations.
Dentists must maintain and uphold the Standards of Practice of the profession. Failure to comply with RCDSO documents and/or the accepted standard of practice of the profession may lead to allegations of professional misconduct.
If you have questions, contact our Practice Advisory Service.
Amalgam Waste Disposal | Standard of Practice
This document sets out the appropriate standard to be followed to reduce the amount of dental amalgam which directly or indirectly enters the sewage system through the office’s waste water.
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As AI tools become more common in dental care, the RCDSO has released a new Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry Guidance document to help dentists use these technologies ethically, responsibly, and transparently.
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Additional Resources
The ownership of a dental practice may change hands for many reasons:
• A dentist or trustee may sell a dental practice.
• A dentist may die and the dentist’s estate may dispose of the practice.
• A dentist may become bankrupt or default on a practice loan causing the sale of the practice assets.
• A dentist may sell his shares in a dentistry professional corporation to another dentist or to another dentistry professional corporation.
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Whether actual or perceived, a conflict of interest gives others the impression that their care or the cost of their care may be unfairly influenced by you. Acting while having a conflict of interest may constitute professional misconduct.
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The duty to obtain consent arises from fundamental legal, professional, and ethical obligations, which reflect the right of every patient to make informed choices about their own body and healthcare.
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Additional Resources
The Standard is applicable to all Ontario dentists who wish to install and operate a dental CT scanner for the purpose of imaging dental patients, as well as those who wish to prescribe dental CT scans for diagnostic purposes.
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Dentists have professional, legal and ethical responsibilities to maintain a complete record of each patient’s dental care. Clear, accurate and up-to-date patient records are essential to the delivery of high-quality care.
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This Standard of Practice articulates requirements for education and clinical practice related to the diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs).
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The provision of dental implant treatment requires a specific base of knowledge and clinical skills for both the surgical and prosthetic phases of treatment. This document outlines suggested educational requirements and professional responsibilities for dentists who wish to use dental implants for their patients.
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Professional, ethical and legal responsibilities dictate that dentists must create and maintain records documenting all aspects of each patient’s dental care. The extent of these records will vary, depending on the conditions with which the patient presents and the complexity of the treatment that is required.
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This document sets out the core principles and duties of the profession.
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Additional resources
Infection prevention and control (IPAC) is a critically important part of safe patient care. In recent years, concerns about the possible spread of blood borne diseases, and the impact of emerging, highly contagious respiratory and other illnesses have grown. Dentists and other health care workers have a clear responsibility to establish, evaluate, continually update and monitor their IPAC strategies and protocols.
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Additional resources
A positive and professional relationship between a patient and their dentist is critical to the success of oral health diagnosis and treatment. A dentist has an obligation to develop, maintain and foster a successful relationship with their patient.
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Dentists must ensure that all necessary and relevant medical information is obtained prior to initiating treatment. This information should be collected systematically, recording the patient’s present state of health and any serious illnesses, conditions or adverse reactions in the past that might affect the dental management of the patient.
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Additional resources
General dentists are usually responsible for providing comprehensive dental care and creating and maintaining long-term relationships with patients. The relationship begins with an initial assessment, examination, development of a treatment plan, and initiation of treatment within the practitioner’s expertise, as determined by their education and experience.
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Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are expected to use good professional judgment in deciding where to provide care. The same standard of care applies whether care is provided in hospital or an out-of hospital facility. The paramount consideration is patient care and safety.
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A dentist is responsible for evaluating and addressing a patient’s comprehensive oral health care needs. In most instances, however, the delivery of dental services involves a team of oral health care professionals, working in collaboration to achieve a common goal: the provision of high-quality oral health care to patients.
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This document applies to all dentists who are involved in the guidance, observation, teaching, supervising, directing and assessment of postgraduate clinical dentist trainees enrolled in a postgraduate dental program in Ontario, and to those dentist trainees themselves.
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Members are entitled to practise under a practice name, provided the regulations included in this advisory are followed.
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This Standard of Practice sets out the requirements for dentists’ professional behaviour to prevent boundary violations and sexual abuse of patients. This Standard is supported by FAQs and case scenarios which provide supplementary information, guidance and examples of behaviour that may be considered boundary violations and sexual abuse.
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Additional Resources
Professional advertisement means any material related to your practice which is published, displayed, distributed or used, whether by you directly or by someone on your behalf.
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The College supports the responsible use of various social media. However, dentists are bound by ethical and professional obligations that extend beyond their clinics or offices. When you are online, you must follow the same rules of professional conduct that guide you at work.
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Additional Resources
Think about your online interactions
The release and/or transfer of copies of patient records and/or radiographs, either to the new dentist or to the patient, is a legal and professional responsibility required under Ontario Regulation 853/93 made under the Dentistry Act, 1991 respecting professional misconduct.
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Technical Service Corporations are permissible vehicles for the delivery of certain services, provided they are used in a way that complies with the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, the Dentistry Act, 1991 and their respective Regulations.
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The management of pain is an important component of dental practice. Dentists frequently consider the use of analgesics and other drugs to manage the patient’s condition, which requires appropriate knowledge, skill and professional judgment to be effective and maintain safety.
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Health-related therapies may broadly be divided into conventional (“Western”) therapies, and complementary and alternative therapies. Conventional therapies are based on a modern conceptualization of disease and informed by scientific study. Complementary and alternative therapies include a diverse group of practices that are founded on various theories and beliefs, may not have a scientific basis, and their teaching is largely absent from the curricula of schools of medicine and dentistry.
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The use of sedation and general anesthesia carries an element of risk. Mitigating this risk requires advanced training, planning and assessment during administration.
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This Standard of Practice articulates requirements for the use of technology when providing and supporting the delivery of dental care to patients remotely. A companion resource (FAQs) has also been developed to provide additional information and guidance.
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Additional Resources
Virtual Care FAQs
