Are all hands-on courses eligible for bonus points?
No. Bonus CE points may be awarded for hands-on courses sponsored by accredited North American faculties/schools of dentistry. In addition, the Quality Assurance Committee may approve bonus CE points for specific courses. Please note that a course with a hands-on component is not automatically eligible for bonus CE points. Contact the College’s Quality Assurance department if you want to verify that bonus CE points have been approved for a specific course.
You do not have to submit a report about your CE activities unless requested by the College. The College randomly selects members each month to have their e-Portfolio reviewed and ensure they are meeting their obligations under the Quality Assurance Regulation. Those members who have been selected will be notified in writing and given 30 days to submit their CE documents to the College.
You should, however, regularly update your e-Portfolio by recording your CE activities as you complete them and ensure that your e-Portfolio is updated by February 15 of the year following the end of a CE cycle. In addition, you must keep your original CE documents to provide evidence of your successful participation in the CE activities you have claimed. These documents must be retained for five years from the end of each three-year CE cycle and submitted to the College on request.
No. You may only claim CE points in the three-year cycle in which they are earned. At the end of a three-year cycle, you will begin a new three-year cycle with zero CE points. So, it is important that you are aware of the start and end dates of your CE cycle.
No. A GPR is not eligible for CE points
Yes. Attendance at hospital rounds at accredited institutions is eligible for 1 CE point per hospital round in Category 2. Verification of your attendance should be obtained from the institution.
No. You may only claim CE points for CE activities that you completed from the date of your registration with the College. Any CE activities that you completed before this date are not eligible for CE points.
Yes. Regular reading of approved dental journals is eligible for 5 CE points per journal to a maximum of 10 CE points, or two journals, per year in Category 3. Reading of current (published in the last five years) dental textbooks is eligible for 10 CE points per textbook in Category 3.
Yes. You may claim CE points in Category 2 for taking a CPR course given by a recognized provider.
Yes. You may claim CE points for teaching dentistry on a part-time or full-time basis at a university faculty of dentistry, as well as dental hygiene and Level II dental assisting at an accredited institution. Teaching Level I dental assisting or at an Advanced Dental Education Centre is not eligible for CE points. Verification of your teaching position should be obtained from the institution. CE points may also be earned for lecturing on clinical dental topics for approved and non-approved sponsors.
Yes. Simply continue to record all of your Category 1 core courses in your e-Portfolio. The program will count any excess CE points in Category 1 towards your requirements in Category 2.
As a general rule, CE points are calculated on the basis of: 1 credit point = 1 credit hour, which does not include time for registration, lunch, breaks or dinner. Unless stated otherwise on the attendance verification document, full-day courses are eligible for 6 CE points.
You may refer to the list of approved sponsor categories, as well as the list of College approved study clubs, which may be found on the Continuing Education page of the College’s website. As a general rule, most non-approved sponsors are dentists who offer courses themselves or some dental labs and supply companies. You may check the approval status of a sponsor on the Academy of General Dentistry website at www.agd.org or the American Dental Association website at www.ada.org. You may also call the College’s Quality Assurance department for more information. All non-approved sponsors are required to inform dentists of their status on the proof of attendance documents given to attendees.
Contact the ODA at 416-922-3900, or visit their website for more information. The College is not involved with the ODA ASM.
What are the Continuing Education (CE) requirements for Ontario dentists?
All members with a general or specialty certificate of registration are required to participate in the College’s Quality Assurance Program and pursue CE activities as part of their commitment to the profession and lifelong learning. This includes obtaining at least 90 CE points in each three-year cycle and fulfilling the minimum requirements in Category 1 and Category 2.
Category 1: Core Courses – At least 15 CE points must be obtained from successfully participating in core courses approved by the Quality Assurance Committee. A list of approved Core Courses is maintained on the College’s website.
New in 2023: If you attend the same course more than once in your three-year Continuing Education (CE) cycle, the first time will be approved for Category 1 points. Subsequent entries will be eligible for Category 2 points. You may repeat the same course in a later CE cycle and be awarded points for it in Category 1.
Category 2: Approved Sponsor Courses – At least 45 CE points must be obtained from successfully participating in courses on a clinical dental topic offered by approved sponsors or by teaching.
Category 3: Other Courses – Any remaining number of CE points may be obtained from other courses, including courses offered by non-approved sponsors, courses on a non-clinical dental topic and courses on non-dental topics that are relevant to the practice of the profession. General attendance at dental conventions and reading of dental journals and textbooks may also be claimed in this category.
You are required to keep your original CE documents to provide evidence of your successful participation in the CE activities you have claimed. These documents must be retained for five years from the end of each three-year CE cycle and submitted to the College on request.
If you are enrolled in a full-time postgraduate program, you are exempt from CE requirements for the duration of your program. However, it is your responsibility to inform the Quality Assurance department in writing of your status, so that your three-year cycle can be adjusted accordingly.
If you are enrolled in a part-time dental-related program, you are still required to obtain at least 90 CE points in each three-year cycle.
Examples of non-clinical courses are those with titles such as Practice Management, Creating the Successful Practice, Dental Nutrition, Sexuality and Health, Effective Tax Management, Effective Financial Planning, Herbal Therapies in Dentistry, etc. Although these courses are considered non-clinical, you are still able to claim CE points for them in Category 3: Other Courses.
For new dentists, your 1st CE cycle begins on December 15 of the calendar year in which you register with the College and ends three years later on December 14. Thereafter, your next CE cycle will begin on December 15th.
These are proof of attendance documents issued by the course provider or course sponsor, which confirms attendance at a CE event. They include the date of the CE event, the title, the attendee’s name and the duration. They are also usually signed by the course provider. Dentists are required to retain all original attendance verification documents for five years from the end of each three-year CE cycle, and submit to the College on request.
We offer a continuing education course about sedation. What do we need to do to have it approved by the RCDSO?
Eligibility and Approval Criteria for Category 1 (core) Courses can be found on the RCDSO website. If your course meets the criteria for a Category 1 (core) Course, you may submit the completed application and associated materials to
ce@rcdso.org for review by the Quality Assurance Committee.
Category 2 and 3 courses do not need to be approved in advance. Please review the RCDSO website for eligibility information.
How can we be sure that our course meets the RCDSO Standards?
The College recommends that course providers and approved sponsors maintain current knowledge of the RCDSO Standards and ensure alignment of their course content to most recent versions.
