Reinstatement

The College can cancel a registration if the registrant does not submit a complete renewal application, including any fees, levies, or assignments. The deadline to renew a registration is October 31 every year. Registrants on the General Register who do not meet this deadline will have their registration suspended on November 1. If they do not submit a complete renewal application by November 30, including any fees, levies, or assignments, their registration will be cancelled on December 1.  

If your registration was cancelled for failure to renew, you are eligible to apply for reinstatement, provided you meet the requirements for registration (see below) and have paid any outstanding fees, penalties, or levies.  

Please note: When your registration was cancelled for failure to renew, all fees that were due at renewal (Practice Permit fee, Administrative Fee, and Late Fee) no longer apply. You are not required to pay these fees in order to apply for reinstatement. 

The College can cancel a registration if the registrant does not meet the conditions placed on their registration by the deadline agreed to by the registrant and College. 

If your registration was cancelled for failure to meet conditions, you are eligible to apply for reinstatement, provided you meet the requirements for registration (see below) and have paid any outstanding fees, penalties, or levies. 

The College will cancel a registration if that registrant specifically requests that their registration be cancelled. 

If you requested that the College cancel your registration, you are eligible to apply for reinstatement, provided you meet the requirements for registration (see below) and have paid any outstanding fees, penalties, or levies. 

If a complaint is made against a registrant, after an investigation and hearing, the Hearing Tribunal has the option to cancel the registration. 

If your registration was cancelled by the decision of a Hearing Tribunal, you are eligible to apply for reinstatement no earlier than 5 years after the date the decision was made. If an application to reinstate is denied in this case, you can reapply for reinstatement no earlier than 1 year after the date of the denial.  

If a decision to cancel a registration was made based in whole or in part on a finding of sexual abuse or misconduct, or if you have any questions regarding your eligibility to apply for reinstatement, please contact the College. 

Decisions Based on Sexual Misconduct or Sexual Abuse 

If a Hearing Tribunal or the Registrar makes a decision to cancel a registration based in whole or in part on a finding of sexual abuse or conviction under Part V and sections of Part VIII of the Criminal Code of Canada, you are not eligible to apply for reinstatement. 

If the decision to cancel a registration was based in whole or in part on a finding of sexual misconduct, you re eligible to apply for reinstatement no earlier than 5 years after the date the decision was made. If an application to reinstate is denied in this case, you can reapply for reinstatement no earlier than 6 months after the date of the denial.  

If a governing body of a health care profession in Canada, the United States, or any other jurisdiction determines that the conduct of a registrant constitutes unprofessional conduct, the Registrar must cancel their registration if the decision was based on sexual abuse or suspend their registration if the decision was based on sexual misconduct. 

As part of the required paper application, applicants must provide the following: 

• Applicant personal information, including contact and demographic information. 
• Information about restricted activities and skills. 
• Information about any additional post-secondary diplomas or degrees. 
• Information about any current or previous professional healthcare registrations such as a dental assistant, nurse, paramedic, or dentist, etc.
  • Applicants must have a Verification of Registration/Certification/Licensure Form completed by each regulatory body and sent to the College
• Information about employment history and practice hours.
  • Applicants must provide evidence of 600 practice hours that meet the requirements listed in section 5 of the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy. This could be a signed letter on clinic letterhead from an employer, an ROE, or a recent paystub showing the number of hours you worked as a dental hygienist at each location.
• Information about professional development activities.
  • Applicants must provide evidence of 45 Continuing Competence Program credits obtained in the 3 years immediately preceding the date their application is complete. The credits must meet the requirements outlined in the Continuing Competence Program Manual.
• Completion certificate from the “Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct” e-learning course (if the College does not have it on file already).
• A CPR certificate showing current certification that meets the requirements listed in section 2 in the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy
  • A completed CPR Certification Declaration for Instructors is also required.
• Certificate(s) showing Professional Liability Insurance that meets the requirements listed in section 3 in the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy
• Completed form to request to take the Jurisprudence exam modules if the applicant has not taken the jurisprudence exam in the last 3 years.
  • Applicants will be given access to and must complete the modules.
  • The College will receive the completion certificate and add it to the application. The learning management system will automatically send a completion certificate to the College, applicants do not need to send a copy to the College.
• Answers to Good Characters and Fitness to Practice declarations and the statutory declaration.
• Applicants must obtain and submit a vulnerable sector check to the College that meets the requirements listed in section 4 of the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy.

Please note: All documents and information provided must be verifiable by the College. The College may contact third parties such as educational institutions, regulatory bodies, agencies, or employers to verify documentation or the information provided in an application for registration. 

Reference: Health Professions Act (HPA) – Sections 33, 43, 45 

Reference: ACDH Bylaws – Section 13 

Reinstatement Application Package

If you don’t meet the practice hour requirement, the College will require you to take either a Council-approved dental hygiene refresher course or a Council-approved remedial education course to show evidence of entry-to-practice level competency. You will need to provide evidence that you successfully completed one of these courses in the last 12 months. This evidence will meet both the practice hour and the Continuing Competence Program (CCP) credit requirements. 

At a minimum, applicants who have not practiced for up to 5 years will need to successfully complete a 5-day refresher course. Applicants who have not practiced in over 5 years will need to successfully complete a 10-day refresher course. 

No, under the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy, only practice hours obtained in Canada can be reported. The reason for this is the scope of practice for dental hygienists varies significantly between countries. As a regulatory body, ACDH has the responsibility to ensure that you are able to demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills, and judgement to practice safely and competently in Alberta. Please contact the College to discuss your options. 

If you have been using a temping agency, you may be able to obtain a record of your assignments from them. This could be a signed letter on agency letterhead. If you were an independent contractor, you could provide pay stubs, letters from frequent employers, or copies of paid invoices. 

Your application will not be considered complete until you meet the CCP credit requirement. This means you can continue to earn CCP credits after you submit your application. Please submit evidence for the credits you have already and once you have obtained the remaining credits, you can provide the evidence to the College.  

You can claim 2 CCP credits for completing the jurisprudence exam, 3 credits for your CPR course, and 2 credits for completing the Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse & Misconduct e-Learning course. 

Alternatively, you can provide evidence of having successfully completed the NDHCE within the last 3 years. 

You no longer have a reporting period as of the day you left the General Register.

Practice hours and continuing competence program credits are counted if they were obtained in the 3 years immediately preceding when your application for registration is considered complete. 

For example, if all of your required documentation is submitted to the College and the information in your application is correct on September 1, 2024, The College will consider hours and credits obtained between September 1, 2021 and August 31, 2024.  

Legislation requires that all applicants for registration successfully complete the jurisprudence exam within the last 3 years. If it has been over 3 years since you last took the exam, you will have to retake it. The College has made extensive changes to the exam, both in the content and the format, to reflect improvements in technology and changes to our legislation, bylaws, standards of practice and guidelines. You may find it beneficial to your practice to take it again. You may also claim 2 CCP credits for completing the exam. 

If the College does not already have a completion certificate for the course on file, and if you can’t provide one, you will need to retake the course. This is a legislated requirement for the College. You may claim 2 CCP credits for completing the course. 

If your application for reinstatement is approved less than 1 year after your registration was cancelled, you will keep the same reporting period you had when your registration was cancelled. 

If your application for reinstatement is approved more than 1 year after your registration was cancelled, your reporting period will start the November 1 after your application is approved. 

CCP credits earned before the start of your reporting period will not be eligible. However, if your application for reinstatement is approved less than 1 year after your registration was cancelled, you will keep the same reporting period, and the CCP credits you earned within this reporting period will remain valid.