Practice & Regulation Guidelines

Quality Assurance Program
Denturist Code of Ethics
Quality Assurance Regulation

Quality Assurance Program

The College of Denturists of Ontario has established a comprehensive Quality Assurance Program to ensure that members of the profession can maintain their competency. The program is continually monitored and up-graded.

The Quality Assurance Program consists of the following components:

1. Self-Evaluation
2. Standards and Guidelines
3. Practice Assessment and Enhancement
4. Remediation of Behavior and Remarks of a Sexual Nature

The Quality Assurance Program is a stand-alone document created as a pro-active method to achieve the following goals:

1. Ensure that the public's needs and expectations remain paramount in the delivery of removable dental prosthesis.
2. Ensure that a high standard of practice is maintained.
3. Encourage continuing education and personal development within the profession.

The College also conducts on-site assessments of practitioners' clinics to ensure that the standards set by the Council are actually being met.

Members of the profession are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical and professional manner. These expectations are detailed in the College's code of ethics.

Denturist Code of Ethics

Preamble

The ethical foundation of the practise of Denturism consists of general principles of conduct, which the profession has come to accept as prerequisites to maintain the dignity and integrity of the profession. This Code is intended to outline, in broad fashion, the duties and responsibilities to which members of the College are expected to adhere in their relationships with the public, with their patients and with their fellow practitioners.

General

Ethical Denturists will:

1. have as their first consideration the well being of their patients
2. strive to improve the standards of denturism in the community
3. uphold the honour and dignity of the profession by standards of integrity and behaviour
4. recognize their limitations
5. be responsible in setting a value on their services
6. abide by the laws of the jurisdiction in which they practise
7. inform the College when a physical or mental disease/condition has affected, or may affect over time, their ability to practise safely or competently.

Further, ethical Denturists will:

1. support the advancement of the profession through local, provincial and national associations for the benefit of all
2. not employ methods designed to attract patients or to aggrandize their professional reputation
3. not pass judgment on the qualifications of or procedures rendered by fellow practitioners except as may be required in the interest of patients' oral health
4. in the case of patient referrals, render only such treatment as has been requested by the referring denturist, subject to cases involving emergency.

Services to the Public

Ethical Denturists will:

1. practise their profession with all the knowledge and ability of which they are capable
2. not practise under conditions, which may adversely affect the quality of their treatment
3. continue their education to improve their standard of care. Every member should participate in a minimum of 10 hours of continuing education programs during each registration year and shall report particulars of the continuing education programs in the professional portfolio section of the Quality Assurance Manual of the College of Denturists of Ontario
4. kindly but firmly, insist upon doing only those things, which their professional knowledge dictates to be in the best interest of their patients' welfare
5. ensure that their conduct in the practise of their profession is above reproach and that they will not take physical, emotional or financial advantage of their patients
6. when consulted in an emergency, attend to the conditions leading to the emergency of patients of other denturists and then will refer the patients to their regular denturists, who should be informed of the conditions found and treated
7. not deliberately render themselves unavailable or refuse to render or provide for the emergency care of their patients
8. secure patents and copyrights only on the condition that they and the remuneration derived therefrom is not used to restrict research, practise, or the benefits of the patented or copyright material
9. not hold out to the public as exclusive any agent, method or technique employed by them
10. not participate in a program of health education of the public, involving such media as the press, radio, television and lectures, where such programs are not in keeping with the dignity of the profession and the custom of the denturist profession of the community.

Patients' Rights

Ethical Denturists will:

1. protect the health and well being of their patients and will not abdicate their professional responsibilities
2. recognize their limitations and, when indicated, recommend to patients that additional opinions and services be obtained
3. recognize that patients have the right to accept or reject any denturist and any care options recommended by them. Patients, having chosen their denturist, have the right to request opinions from other denturists: regarding a treatment plan
4. keep in confidence information derived from their patients or from colleagues regarding patients and divulge it only with the permission of the patients except when the law requires them to do otherwise, and in circumstances of inter professional consultation
5. assist, on patients' requests, by supplying them the information required to enable the patients to receive any benefits to which they may be entitled
6. recognize that, although they have the right respecting choice of patients, they will act in a manner consistent with the legislatively approved Human Rights Act and/or Human Rights Code
7. render all assistance in their power to any patient, where an urgent need for denturist care exists, such as in an emergency.

Quality Assurance Regulation

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