Practice Ownership FAQs

If you have questions about the regulatory requirements or College expectations related to opening a dental hygiene practice, please contact a Regulatory Advisor. 

Regulatory Advisors can answer questions about regulation, including scope of practice, Bylaws, Regulations, Standards of Practice and Guidelines, and ethical practice. For example, a Regulatory Advisor can provide you with guidance on Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines in a practice setting. 

If you are planning to open a practice, notify the College by filling out the Notification Form for Practice Owners. Then, any questions about scheduling the inspection or what will take place during the inspection can be directed to your assigned Inspector.  

Please be advised that the ACDH cannot provide legal, employment, business management, or patient-specific advice. 

Preparing to open a dental hygiene practice will vary depending on your practice setting and business plan. You can generally expect to spend four months to a year in the preparation stages. You must notify the College at least 90 days before your anticipated date of opening/moving/adding a component by filling out the Notification Form for Practice Owners. 

Yes. Adding a component to a dental hygiene practice includes the following situations:  

• a new or change to physical location;  
• mobile operations;  
• a van or vehicle for providing services;  
• a new or change to reprocessing site; and  
• a significant expansion of services that have additional infection prevention and control requirements (e.g., adding reprocessing of medical devices instead of using single-use disposable items). 

Fill out the Notification Form for Practice Owners at least 90 days in advance of adding a component to a dental hygiene practice, as per College Bylaws. 

The College does not approve business names or advertising of dental hygiene practices in advance. Practice owners are responsible for reviewing the Advertising Standards of Practice and Guidelines and other relevant regulatory documents to ensure they are meeting their obligations as a registrant.

Should you advertise or select a business name that is not compliant with legislation or the College’s Standards of Practice, the College may take action, including making a referral to the Complaints Director.

Once you have notified the College of your intent to open, acquire, operate, move, or add a component to a dental hygiene practice by filling out the Notification Form for Practice Owners, you will be assigned an Inspector. Then, you must inform the Inspector when you are 2-3 weeks away from being ready to provide dental hygiene services to patients. Once you have informed the Inspector, the Inspector will contact you regarding your inspection. Your inspection will be scheduled based on your readiness and the Inspector's availability. 

The inspector may request documentation in advance of your inspection date. You are expected to cooperate with the Inspector and comply with their requests.  

For more information, refer to the question, “How do I prepare for the inspection?” below. 

Before your inspection, you'll receive an Inspection Checklist. During the inspection, you'll need to be able to explain and demonstrate how you meet each item on the checklist. The inspection may also involve questions and observations beyond the checklist to determine compliance with legislation, the College’s Bylaws, Standards of Practice, and Code of Ethics. 

You will need to prepare to answer Inspector questions and demonstrate procedures identified in the checklist in a manner that represents how you intend to practice. For example, the Inspector may request your written medical device reprocessing policies and ask you to demonstrate and explain the use of your sterilizer at the inspection. 

Completing your Infection Prevention and Control manual should better prepare you for the inspection. 

Consider the following examples: 

Are my supplies and equipment on-site and ready for use? 

This could include items such as: 

• Sterilizers are installed and qualified  
• Medical devices and instruments are sterilized 
• Medical devices have active Health Canada licenses and manufacturer’s instructions for use 
• Dental chairs and delivery units are operational 
• Supplies and products required for reprocessing are on-site (e.g., ultrasonic solution, biological indicators) 
• Cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment, and medical emergency kit items are on-site 

Is all construction related to my practice setting complete? 

This could include items such as: 

• Plumbing, electrical, and ventilation requirements 
• Any required municipal permits have been obtained 
• Finishing work is complete 
• Surfaces are compliant with infection prevention and control standards 
• Clinical and environmental surfaces are thoroughly cleaned 

The role of the Inspector is to: 

• collect information 
• document their findings, and 
• provide an inspection report. 

The Inspector’s role is not to provide guidance, coaching, or answers to questions about regulation, including scope of practice, Bylaws, Regulations, Standards of Practice and Guidelines, and ethical practice. If you have questions on those topics, contact a Regulatory Advisor in advance of your inspection. Registrants are expected to be compliant and knowledgeable prior to the inspection. 

Inspectors can require registrants to answer any questions relevant to the inspection and to provide the Inspector with anything relevant to the inspection that is under your possession or control. Therefore, you will need to be available to answer questions and provide any requested information, materials, and/or evidence throughout the inspection. The Inspector may also request documentation (e.g., infection prevention and control policies and procedures) in advance of the on-site inspection date.  

For example, the Inspector may request your written medical device reprocessing policies and ask you to demonstrate and explain the use of your sterilizer at the inspection. 

Inspectors are not able to act as external consultants for practice owners due to the conflict of interest with their role at the College.  The role of the Inspector is outlined in the HPA, refer to Part 3.1. Refer to the question, “What is the role of the inspector?” above for additional information. 

Inspections typically take 2-4 hours to complete, depending on the complexity of the inspection. Because the Inspector is inspecting you, the registrant, you are expected to be available and present for the entirety of the inspection. 

The College does not determine the timing or approval for the opening of a dental hygiene practice.  You must notify the College at least 90 days before your anticipated date of opening/moving/adding a component by filling out the Notification Form for Practice Owners. 

However, should you choose to open your dental hygiene practice and provide services to patients prior to your scheduled inspection date, and the College subsequently determines during the post-opening inspection that any aspect of your practice is not compliant with legislation, Standards of Practice, or the Code of Ethics, the College may take action, including making a referral to the Complaints Director. The College would also be required to notify the medical officer of health in accordance with section 1.1(1) of the HPA  if there are any concerns of a public health nuisance or threat. 

 The ACDH does not assign “pass” or “fail” status after inspections, nor does it approve or deny practices for opening. The goal of the inspection is to verify your compliance with your regulatory requirements. You will receive a full report of the inspection findings following your inspection. 

Within 90 days of the inspection, the Inspector must provide a written report to both the registrant and the College Registrar outlining the findings of the inspection. Once the Registrar has reviewed the report, if they are of the opinion that:   

• You failed or refused to co-operate with the Inspector (s. 53.4(2)(a)), 
• You provided false or misleading information during the inspection (s. 53.4(2)(b)), 
• You may be incapacitated (s. 53.4(2)(d)), and/or 
• Your conduct constitutes other unprofessional conduct (s. 53.4(2)(e)), 

then the Registrar will be required to make a referral to the Complaints Director of the College. 

 Notwithstanding the above, if the Registrar is of the opinion that there is unprofessional conduct that is minor in nature, they have the discretion to direct that you take specified actions rather than make a referral to the Complaints Director (s. 53.4(3)).  If this occurs, you will receive a letter from the Registrar explaining the required actions. It can take 4-8 weeks to thoroughly review the inspection report and determine any follow-up actions. 

The Alberta Health Personal Services Regulation and Standards ("Regulation and Standards") applies to dental hygiene practices that offer tooth whitening or tooth gems. Alberta Health identifies tooth whitening and tooth gems as personal services. Dental hygienists who offer these services must ensure they are also complying with these Regulation and Standards. 

If you are an owner/operator of a dental hygiene practice, you are required to notify Alberta Health Services if you are currently providing personal services and prior to providing any new personal services.  

Read more about the requirements for owners/operators offering personal services. 

If you choose to operate your business as a Registered Dental Hygienist using your designated title as part of the profession of dental hygiene, you will continue to be regulated by the ACDH.  

You will be required to submit the Notification Form for Practice Owners, which notifies the College of your intention to open a practice. You are obligated to adhere to all Legislation, Regulation, Standards of Practice, and Guidelines as they apply to your practice.  

Additionally, when offering the personal services of tooth whitening and tooth gems as a Registered Dental Hygienist in a non-exempt practice setting, ensure you adhere to the Alberta Health Personal Services Regulation and Standards. 

If you choose to operate your business as a Registered Dental Hygienist using your designated title as part of the profession of dental hygiene, you will continue to be regulated by the College. 

You will be required to submit the Notification Form for Practice Owners, which notifies the College of your intention to open a practice. You are obligated to adhere to all Legislation, Regulation, Standards of Practice and Guidelines as they apply to your practice.  

Medical devices are defined as: 

Any instrument, apparatus, appliance, material, or other article, whether used alone or in combination, including the software necessary for its proper application, intended by the manufacturer to be used for a human being for any of the following purposes:  

• diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment, or alleviation of disease;  
• diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, or alleviation of, or compensation for, an injury or handicap;  
• investigation, replacement, or modification of the anatomy, or of a physiologic process; or  
• control of conception, and that does not achieve its principal intended purpose in or on the human body by pharmacological, immunological, or metabolic means, but that can be assisted in its function by such means. 

Medical devices are regulated and classified by Health Canada through the Medical Devices Regulations.

Health Canada issues two types of licenses: 

1. Medical Device Licence – A licence for the medical device itself. 

1. Medical Device Establishment Licence – A licence for the establishment (company) that manufactures the medical device. 

Medical devices are classified into four categories—Class I(lowest risk) II, III, or IV (highest risk)—based on factors such as the level of risk associated with their use, degree of invasiveness, duration of patient contact, potential energy transmission hazards, and the consequences of device malfunction or failure. 

For Class I devices, the manufacturer or importer is required to hold a Medical Device Establishment Licence (MDEL). Class II devices and higher require Health Canada’s approval in the form of a Medical Device Licence (MDL). 

Examples of medical devices and their classification commonly used in dental hygiene practice include: 

Additional Resources:

• Health Canada: About Medical Devices
• Health Canada: Guidance for Industry - Keyword Index to Assist Manufacturers in Verifying the Class of Medical Devices
• Public Health Agency of Canada Training Portal: Medical Devices

When you buy equipment and supplies for your practice, it's important to know which items are considered medical devices. The College's Standard of Practice on Safety and Risk Management, the Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines, and the Alberta Health Reusable & single-use medical devices standards must be followed when purchasing and using medical devices in your practice. 

 It is your responsibility to confirm the following: 

• That the manufacturer for any Class I medical device has a Medical Device Establishment License (MDEL). For additional information about Medical Device Licenses, refer to the question, “What is a medical device?” above. 
• That any medical device Class II or higher has a valid Medical Device Licence (MDL) for use in Canada.  
• That each medical device has manufacturers’ instructions for use (MIFUs). 
  • MIFUs must be maintained in printed or electronic format and readily accessible in your practice.  
• That you have read each device’s MIFUs and can adhere to them in practice. 
  • When developing policies and procedures in the IPC Manual for your practice, you must also incorporate relevant sections of the MIFUs.   
  • Consider purchasing a single-use device if the MIFU indicates that it will be difficult to reprocess (sterilize) the device properly.   

Please note that dental devices/equipment purchased from Amazon, eBay, etc.; may NOT be licensed in Canada. If you use a device that is not licensed in Canada, you will not be in compliance with your Standards of Practice.

Reprocessing equipment is considered a medical device. For additional details about medical device requirements, review the question, “What is a medical device?” above. 

Before purchasing reprocessing equipment (e.g., sterilizers), you are expected to: 

• Confirm that the sterilizer has an active medical device license. 
• Obtain technical and safety data, specifications, and other information specific to the equipment for required utilities and connections (e.g., electrical, steam, water, plumbing, air supply, and ventilation), and ensure the minimum service space requirements set out by the manufacturer can be met. 
• Ensure you can adhere to the MIFUs when servicing, maintaining, and repairing equipment. 
  • Often, these MIFUs will specify that the service and repair must be done by the manufacturer or an authorized service representative. If you have concerns about damage or improper function of equipment, consult the manufacturer to confirm that the device can be used safely.