With respect to the recordkeeping guidelines, BCCOHP Bylaw 8.01, applies to all registrants, including dental technicians. Further, prescriptions are considered part of the patient record and subject to Bylaw 8.01(3)(b), registrants must keep all records “for a period of not less than 16 years from the date of the last recorded entry or the date the patient reaches the age of majority, whichever is later.” While the recordkeeping guidelines are from the legacy College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC), the BCCOHP Bylaws outline the same requirements for dental technicians. You may wish to know that BCCOHP is currently working on developing practice standards for areas of high-risk practice, including recordkeeping, for the oral health team which includes dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists, dental technicians, denturists, and certified dental assistants. Updates on the progress will be shared on our website and with registrants directly as they become available.
Dentists who own an in-house lab and employ associates may share the use of the practice owner’s in-house lab with the associates as this is part of the same business, and the associate dentist(s) may authorize a lab assistant to provide services under their supervision. Dentists who own multiple offices across the province, as you suggest, may not use the in-house lab located at a different location. In BC, a commercial dental lab must be overseen by a Registered Dental Technician (RDT) in accordance with the the Health Professions Act, the Dental Technicians Regulation, and the BCCOHP Bylaws. While a dentist may own a commercial dental lab, they must employ an RDT to provide or supervise the work only on receipt of a prescription (to dispense a dental appliance), and it would not be considered an “in-house” lab.