Legislation, Regulations and Resources for Dental Assistants
Jurisprudence is part of your professional responsibilities. You must have a practical understanding about the laws and rules that are relevant to your practice and be able to apply that knowledge.
You should have working knowledge of the laws and rules. For example, how/where to access them, the topics they cover and how to use them.
Below you’ll find several documents and resources that apply to and help guide the practice of dental assistants. Depending on your role, practice setting and/or location, there may be others that apply to you. For example, if you practice where other laws or rules apply, like Lloydminster, on reserve land, for a health authority or the military.
| General Practice | Description |
|---|---|
| Code of Ethics | guidance for ethical practice |
| Competency Profile | outlines the competencies of dental assistants |
| Dental Assistants Profession Regulation | legislation specific to the dental assisting profession |
| Dental Assisting Guidelines and FAQs | resources to guide safe, competent practice |
| Dental Assisting Entry Practices and Advanced Practices | the intra-oral, patient care services dental assistants may be authorized to provide |
| Heath Professions Act | legislation that governs health professionals and delegates the regulation of dental assisting to our College |
| Health Professions Act Handbook | a guide to the provisions and principles within the Health Professions Act |
| Health Professions Restricted Activities Regulation | the restricted activities dental assistants may be authorized to perform |
| Standards of Practice | standards that dental assistants are expected to meet in their practice |
| Privacy | Description |
|---|---|
| Health Information Act | legislation that provides a framework for collecting, using and disclosing health information |
| Personal Information Protection Act | legislation that provides a framework for collecting, using and disclosing personal information |
| Health Information Regulation | regulates matters pertaining to the Health Information Act |
| Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act | legislation that applies when personal information crosses provincial or national borders |
| Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta | oversight and enforcement of Alberta’s access and privacy Acts |
| Reporting | Description |
|---|---|
| Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act | under Section 4, dental assistants have a duty to report if a child is in need of intervention |
| Health Information Regulation | under Section 8.2(1), dental assistants must report to the custodian when a breach occurs |
| Heath Professions Act | dental assistants must report: under Section 1.1(1) a nuisance or threat to public safety; under section 127.2(1) if the conduct of another member of any regulated college constitutes sexual abuse or sexual misconduct |
| Public Health Act | under Section 22(1), dental assistants must report if a patient under their care or supervision is infected with a notifiable communicable disease |
| Safety | Description |
|---|---|
| Best Practices Guidelines for Occupational Health and Safety in the Healthcare Industry | 5 volumes of information for healthcare workers about workplace hazards and control measures |
| Handbook of occupational hazards and controls for dental workers | focused information for dental workers summarized from the 5 volumes of Best Practices Guidelines |
| Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines | guidelines for best practices when applying infection prevention and control standards |
| Infection Prevention and Control Standards and Risk Management for Dentistry | infection prevention standards for dental practice |
| Occupational Health and Safety | information and resources for workers and employers to prevent workplace injuries, illness and fatalities |
| Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation and Code | legislation that provides rules for health, safety and wellness in workplaces, including radiation |
| Radiation Health and Safety Resources | guidelines, fact sheets, dosimetry and other resources |
| Radiation Protection in Dentistry – Safety Code 30 | radiation protection guidance to support safe use of radiation emitting devices |
| Reusable & Single-Use Medical Devices Standards | standards for reprocessing reusable devices and for using single-use devices |
Find a Dental Assistant
Use our Registry to check the status of a dental assistant’s Practice Permit.
Complaints & Concerns
If you have concerns about a dental assistant’s service or conduct, we are here to help.