FAQs
FAQs – Profession
Do I have a right to know who is making the dental device prescribed by my dentist?
Yes. Ask your dentist. They will be able to provide you with the name of the laboratory where your device is being created and the name of the Registered Dental Technologist (RDT) who is carrying out or supervising the work.
RDTs are happy to be contacted with questions about their work, however they can only act on instructions provided in a prescription issued by a dentist. Therefore, it may be more expedient for you to discuss any initial questions you may have with your dentist who can then communicate these to the dental technologist and provide instructions where necessary.
Why should I ask who is making the dental device prescribed by my dentist?
For your safety and protection of your health. Your dental device will be constructed from a variety of materials. Dental technologists are trained in the safe selection and application of these materials for use in oral health devices and have had their overall knowledge, skill and judgement in the practice of the profession assessed by the College.
By inquiring about who is making or supervising the creation of your dental device you are helping to ensure it is being made to the high safety and quality standards set by the College and that the person making it or supervising its manufacture can be held accountable if these standards are not met.
Are all registrants of the College allowed to design and fabricate the dental device prescribed by my dentist?
No. The College has two classes of registration: (1) General and (2) Inactive. Only registrants holding valid, unrestricted General Certificate of Registration are eligible to practice dental technology. You should always check the College’s Public Register to confirm the registration status (i.e. eligible to practise) of a person offering to provide dental technology services.
FAQs – Public
I think I have been sexually abused by a registrant of the College and I want to complain, but I don’t want this issue made public. Can I submit a complaint anonymously?
The College understands that sexual abuse is very upsetting and can lead to feelings of embarrassment and shame that may make patients unwilling to come forward. However, it cannot act on anonymous complaints.
When the College receives a complaint in the format required by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), it must investigate the allegations in a way that ensures fairness and transparency to all the parties concerned. As part of this process, the College may need to contact you for further information and thus requires that you provide your name and contact details. The College must also advise the registrant, who is the subject of the complaint, on the nature of the allegations and the patient to which they refer so that they have an opportunity to respond and can provide relevant information and documents to the College’s Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC).
At no point in this process is the patient’s information disclosed publicly.
Should the matter proceed to a discipline hearing, the RHPA makes provision for the identity of sexual misconduct witnesses (including those who have been abused by the member) to be protected.
Read more about the College’s complaints process
Contact the College to make a complaint
How long does the complaints process take?
The RHPA requires that a panel of the ICRC dispose of a complaint (i.e. make a decision on the action required in respect of the complaint or determine that no action is required) within 150 days after the complaint was filed.
If the panel cannot meet this deadline, the Registrar will communicate with the complainant and the registrant in accordance with the requirements of the RHPA.
Can I appeal the decision of a panel of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC)?
The complainant or the registrant who is the subject of the complaint has the right to request a review of a decision of a panel of the ICRC to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB) unless the decision was to:
- refer the matter to the College’s Discipline Committee; or
- refer the matter to another panel of the ICRC for incapacity proceedings.
Registrants who are the subject of Registrar’s Reports or Quality Assurance Committee referrals do not have the right to request a review of the decision to HPARB.
Requests to review decisions of the ICRC must be made by mail or fax to the HPARB and be received within thirty days of the registrant or complainant receiving the decision from the ICRC.
Contact HPARB at:
151 Bloor Street West, 9th Floor
Toronto, ON
M5S 1S4
Canada
Fax: 416-327-8524
How does the College deal with anonymous complaints against a dental technologist?
The ICRC does not initiate a complaints investigation in cases where the complainant is anonymous. However, if the Registrar becomes aware of some information of a serious nature involving a dental technologist that gives the Registrar reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the dental technologist has committed professional misconduct or is incompetent, the Registrar may initiate an investigation, with the ICRC’s approval.
FAQs – Members
Professional Corporations FAQs
What is a professional corporation?
A professional corporation is one or more professionals practising the profession that they are registered to practise as a representative of a corporation.
Who can register with the College as a professional corporation?
Any registrant who is registered with the College is eligible to obtain a certificate of authorization (i.e. a certificate of registration for a professional corporation). However, if the registrant’s business is not yet incorporated in Ontario, the registrant will have to incorporate under the Ontario Business Corporations Act, 1990 (refer to the website of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services for details on this process), prior to obtaining a certificate of authorization.
What activities can a professional corporation undertake?
A professional corporation can only practise the profession that its shareholder(s) are registered to practise. For example, a dental technologist wishing to incorporate can only practise dental technology with other dental technologists in a professional corporation. Professional corporations are also allowed to engage in activities that support their operation, such as the investment of surplus funds.
What is the ownership structure of a professional corporation?
All of the directors of the professional corporation must be shareholders of it, and all shareholders must be members of the same health profession. For example, the only individuals who can hold shares in a dental technology professional corporation are registered dental technologists.
Do I have to register my existing corporation as a professional corporation?
Yes. Dental technologists operating through a regular business corporation will need to convert their business to a professional corporation in order to comply with the College’s requirements and the requirements of the Regulated Health Professions Act. Professional corporations are held to the same standards as any other member of the College.
Do I have to practise through a professional corporation?
No. You can choose to practise dental technology through a non-corporate structure (e.g., sole proprietor, partnership, etc.). However, if you choose to practise the profession through a corporation, it must be a dental technology professional corporation.
What fees are associated with obtaining a certificate of authorization?
There is an application fee and an annual fee to maintain a certificate of authorization. The annual fee is not pro-rated. See Schedule 5: Fees of the College By-Laws for the most up to date fees.
Quality Assurance FAQs
I am an RDT holding a general certificate with the College, but I am close to retirement. Can I be exempt from the Quality Assurance Program?
No, all registrants of the College holding a General Certificate of Registration must comply with the Quality Assurance Program (QAP) without exception.
I have accumulated more than ninety credits in my three-year cycle, can I carry the extra credits over to the next three-year cycle?
I work in a small community and am concerned that an assessor may be one of my competitors. How can I comply with the requirements of the QAP without giving them access to commercially sensitive information?
The College provides all assessors with the names of those RDTs they will be assessing during the Peer and Practice Assessment period. If an assessor believes that a conflict of interest exists, they must declare it to the College and an alternative assessor will be selected to conduct the Assessment.
Additionally, all RDTs selected for a Peer and Practice Assessment are provided with the name of their Assessor prior to the assessment. RDTs who have concerns about the assessor assigned to them can contact the Quality Assurance department.
All Peer Assessors, the Quality Assurance Committee and College staff are bound by strict confidentiality rules under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 that prevent public release or use of information gained through the QAP program for any purpose other than the administration of the program.
Advertising FAQs
What are my legal responsibilities when advertising about myself and the services I provide?
RDTs can market their practices, products, services and fees, provided that their advertising is truthful and not misleading, deceptive, or discriminatory. Consider not just the intent of any advertisement but also its effect on the public’s view of the profession.
Advertising restrictions are in place to allow the public to make informed decisions. Any and all advertising must comply with section 11 of the General Regulation (Ontario Regulation 604/98).
Advertisements must:
• Not contain anything that is false or misleading
• Not contain anything that, because of its nature, cannot be verified
• Not contain an endorsement other than an endorsement by an organization that is known to have expertise relevant to the subject-matter of the endorsement
• Not contain a testimonial by a current or former client/patient or by a friend or relative of a current or former client/patient
• Be readily comprehensible to the persons to whom it is directed
What are my professional responsibilities when advertising about myself and the services I provide?
Advertisements should avoid anything that would amount to a conflict of interest for the Registrant, such as:
- Offering quantity discounts or discounts for prompt payments to dentists
- Offering gifts, airline tickets or air miles as incentive programs to dentists
- Offering rebates, credit or other benefits to dentists
- Making special arrangements to finance dentists’ purchases of equipment, facilities and supplies
- Providing benefits that do not directly benefit patients
- Directly or indirectly encouraging the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services
What are testimonials and why are they illegal?
A testimonial is a written or spoken statement about a product or service. It often explicitly states or implies that an individual benefitted from or liked the product or service provided or praises the work, skill, or character of the individual providing the service.
Testimonials and reviews are used primarily as a tool to persuade the public to use a particular service provider. They are unverifiable and can potentially mislead the public by overplaying the positives and downplaying the negatives of products and services and may therefore prevent the public from making informed decisions about who they decide to obtain their care from.
Are there restrictions on where I can advertise?
Advertising communicated in any medium or platform, including a Registrant’s website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, must be ethical and not reflect poorly on the profession. Registrants are responsible for any advertisement over which they have control, including advertisements placed by others on their behalf (e.g. marketing consultants, employers, employees, and business partners). Registrants must take reasonable steps to correct any advertisements that fail to meet the advertising regulations.
I work as an RDT in a dental laboratory and my employer takes care of all of the advertising. Am I still responsible for the advertising of the dental technology services in the practice?
Yes. RDTs are responsible for any advertising that refers to dental technology services. This means that Registrants must take all reasonable steps to change any advertising that you are aware of that does not meet the requirements.
Some of these steps might include:
• Making the employer aware of the College’s expectations regarding advertising.
• Requesting changes in writing regarding any advertising that does not meet the requirements.
• Following up with the employer to make sure the changes have been made.
