Standards, Guidelines and Advisories

The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario’s Standards of Practice, Guidelines, Practice Advisories and Best Practices articulate the legal, professional and ethical obligations that apply to dentists practising in Ontario. These documents inform Ontario dentists and the public of our 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

Guidelines

Practice Advisories

Best Practices