Find a Registered Dental Hygienist

GO

Changes to CPD Requirements

Registered Dental Hygienists in Ontario know that participation in a Quality Assurance Program that includes completing continuing professional development (CPD) activities is a responsibility (and requirement) of regulated health professionals. These activities support public confidence in the continuing competence of health professionals throughout their careers.

CPD activities need to be meaningful and not overly taxing on the lives of busy health professionals (quality over quantity), support client safety, and be responsive to changing practice characteristics and needs of the professional. CDHO is announcing some changes to CPD requirements:

  1. Previously, RDHs were required to complete 75 hours of CPD activities over three years. Effective January 1, 2026, this number has been reduced to 60 hours of required CPD activities over a three-year period. Please continue to keep a record of these activities in your Learning Portfolio.
  2. Courses or training related to CPR certification and re-certification, ergonomics, or mental health are now eligible CPD activities. These activities support the competence and health of CDHO registrants.

Review the Guidelines for Continuing Competency. 

New CPD Requirement

CDHO is also adding the requirement that all RDHs (even those in the Non-Practising Class) complete NVision’s The Path course by December 31, 2027. We have provided this course free of charge since 2023, and an appreciable number of RDHs have taken the course. Some of you may also have taken the course before CDHO offered it. With this decision, CDHO’s Council is affirming its commitment to supporting the delivery of culturally safe care to all people of Ontario. Evidence shows that Indigenous peoples experience significant oral health disparities compared to non-Indigenous peoples, and that Indigenous peoples experience discrimination when seeking Dental Hygiene care in Ontario.

Council’s decision was encouraged by Call to Action #23 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: That all levels of government provide cultural competency training for healthcare professionals. The Path provides foundational knowledge of Canada’s colonial history, an essential component of providing culturally safe and trauma-informed Dental Hygiene care that will help in the removal of oral health disparities and experiences of discrimination.

What this means for RDHs

All RDHs must complete The Path by December 31, 2027. The course remains free and is available through the Self-Service Portal (under the Courses & Exams menu). All instructions, including the access code, are available once you log in. You can complete this course at your own pace, and completion counts towards your CPD hours (approximately seven hours).

If you have already completed The Path through CDHO or an association, please maintain your certificate. Random audits will begin in 2028.

Please note: The Path addresses sensitive subject matters that may feel harmful, traumatic, disturbing or triggering to some audiences. Please consider reaching out to loved ones and/or the following organizations to support your wellness: 

If you have any questions about these changes, please get in touch with us at qualityassurance@cdho.org or by calling 1-800-268-2346 (press 3). 

FAQs

CPD Changes

  1. What if I completed 25 hours of learning per year in the past two years? Does that mean I can just do 10 hours this year? 
    CDHO does not prescribe the number of CPD hours to be completed per year, so long as 60 hours are completed over the three-year period. This is designed to give RDHs flexibility in how they complete CPD requirements. 

Mandating The Path

  1. Can The Path course be counted as a goal related course? 
    Yes. Goal suggestion example: Enhance your understanding of the history and contemporary realities of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples by completing The Path by December 31, 2027. 
  2. I’ve taken other courses on the history and contemporary realities of Indigenous peoples. Do I need to complete The Path? 
    Yes, all RDHs must complete The Path by December 31, 2027. CDHO recognizes that many RDHs have taken other Indigenous intercultural awareness training. Having all RDHs take The Path ensures the profession has a common foundation of knowledge on which to build. It is also necessary for CDHO to comply with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #23, which we have committed to doing. We encourage RDHs to continue to look for opportunities to increase their knowledge and understanding in this area.
  3. I have lived experience in this area. Do I need to complete The Path?  
    Yes, all RDHs must complete The Path by December 31, 2027. 
  4. What if I find some of the content upsetting?  
    Please consider reaching out to loved ones and/or the following organizations to support your wellness:   
    •  Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-800-721-0066 
    •  Hope for Wellness Line (Donna Cona): 1-855-242-3310 
    •  Government of Ontario Mental Health Supports:
       https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support