Educational Program Reviews

As the regulatory body for dental hygienists in Alberta, the Alberta College of Dental Hygienists has the authority under Section 3(1)(f) of the Health Professions Act to "approve programs of study and education courses for the purposes of registration requirements.”   The ACDH Council has established an educational program review and approval process. 

This process:

• requires that any new dental hygiene education program seeking establishment in Alberta be approved by the ACDH Council prior to program implementation; 
• requires that approved Alberta dental hygiene education programs complete regular reviews; and
• establishes standards against which programs will be assessed and evaluated.

Eligibility

Only dental hygiene education programs that are supported by a post-secondary educational institution (PSI) in the province of Alberta are eligible for program review and approval.  Programs must be in good standing with their respective branch of advanced education. 

Please note: The dental hygiene education program approval process is for new dental hygiene programs seeking establishment in Alberta. This process is separate from the substantial equivalence program review process. The ACDH conducts substantial equivalence program reviews of dental hygiene education programs that are outside of Alberta. For more information about substantial equivalency, visit the Registration section of our website.

See also:

• Post-Secondary Learning Act (public institutions) 
• Private Vocational Training Act (private institutions)  

Review and Approval Process

The ACDH Council assesses new programs against a set of standards that include the Entry-to-Practice Canadian Competencies for Dental Hygienists as defined by the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada and meets the scope of practice in Alberta as defined in the Dental Hygienists Profession Regulation and the Health Professions Restricted Activity Regulation.   

The responsibility for dental hygiene education program review is delegated to the ACDH Education Program Review Committee (EPRC). The EPRC reviews proposed dental hygiene programs in Alberta and reports its recommendations to the ACDH Council. The ACDH Council then considers the EPRC report and recommendations. If accepted, Council submits its decision to the Minister of Advanced Education. 

Fees 

The ACDH Council approves the fee structure for program review. The ACDH Fee Schedule for Dental Hygiene Education Program Review and Approval is reviewed on an annual basis. Stakeholders are notified of any changes to the approved fee schedule. This document may be obtained by request at registration@acdh.ca.  

Resource Documents