Standards, Guidelines and Advisories

The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario’s Standards of Practice set out legal, professional, and ethical obligations that apply to dentists practising in Ontario. Standards of Practice support dentists and protect the public by communicating the College’s expectations for the profession.

Dentists are obligated to maintain the standard of practice of the profession and must adhere to the expectations we set out in the documents below. A dentist who fails to comply with a RCDSO document and/or the generally accepted standard of practice of the profession may be acting in a manner that could result in allegations of professional misconduct.

Ontario dentists must, at minimum:

• Familiarize themselves with, and have a clear understanding of, Standards of Practice and other documents that are applicable to their practice
• Maintain their skills and knowledge through continuing education and the review of evidence-based literature
• Reach out to the Practice Advisory Service if they are unsure how to meet relevant requirements.

Standards Review and Development Process

We are improving the way we develop and communicate expectations for Ontario dentists.

Visit this page for more information about how we review and develop our Standards of Practice, and for information about how you can get involved.

Standards of Practice

• Amalgam Waste Disposal
• Consent to Treatment
  • Consent to treatment checklist
  • FAQs
• Dental CT Scanners
• Diagnosis & Management of Temporomandibular Disorders
• Infection Prevention and Control in the Dental Office
  • Sample office policy manual
  • How to use chemical indicators, biological indicators, and process challenge devices to monitor sterilization
  • Potential causes of a positive biological indicator
  • Steps to investigate a positive biological indicator
  • Self-audit IPAC checklist for dentists
  • FAQs

• Performance of Intra-Oral Procedures that are Not Controlled Acts by Preventive Dental Assistants, Level II Dental Assistants and Registered Dental Hygienists
• Prevention of Boundary Violations and Sexual Abuse
  • Case scenarios
  • FAQs
• Requesting Magnetic Resonance Imaging & Referring to Physician Specialists by Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia in Dental Practice
• Virtual Care
  • FAQs

Guidelines

• Conflict of Interest
• Dental Recordkeeping
• Educational Requirements & Professional Responsibilities for Implant Dentistry
• Electronic Records Management
• Medical History Recordkeeping Guide
  • Handout for patients
  • Sample medical history questionnaire
  • Sample recall history questionnaire

• The Role of Opioids in the Management of Acute and Chronic Pain in Dental Practice

Practice Advisories

• Change of Practice Ownership
• Professional Use of Social Media
• Maintaining a Professional Patient-Dentist Relationship
• Most Responsible Dentist
• Postgraduate Education: Responsibilities of the Faculties
• Practice Names
• Professional Advertising
• Release and Transfer of Patient Records
• Technical Service Corporations
• Use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Dental Practice

Best Practices

• Orthognathic Surgery in Out of Hospital Facilities