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Continuing Professional Development
 
The principal purpose of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 is to protect the health and safety of the public by ensuring practitioner competence and fitness to practise. The Act provides the Council with mechanisms to ensure that oral health practitioners are competent and fit to practise, not just at the point of registration but on an on-going basis. All practitioners are required to participate in continuing professional development (CPD) activities. Dentists/dental specialists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and orthodontic auxiliaries are also required to participate in peer contact activities. The Dental Council's Policy on continuing professional development activities provides an overview of CPD, peer contact activities and the criteria used to assess activities for verifiable CPD purposes.
 
 
 
 
  		Minimum number of
verifiable CPD hours		 Minimum number of
peer contact activities		 Recertification cycle
 
Dentists / Dental
Specialists		 80 12 1/1/2009 - 31/12/2012
Dental Hygienists 60 8 1/1/2010 - 31/12/2013
Dental Therapists 60 8 1/1/2010 - 31/12/2013
Dual-trained Dental Hygienists/Dental Therapists 60 8 1/1/2010 - 31/12/2013
Orthodontic Auxiliaries 30 6 1/1/2010 - 31/12/2013
Dental Technicians 40 0 1/1/2010 - 31/12/2013
Clinical Dental
Technicians		 60 0 1/1/2010 - 31/12/2013
 
CPD activities must be completed with Dental Council CPD approved provider. These include:
  • New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA)
  • New Zealand Association of Orthodontists (NZAO)
  • New Zealand Dental Therapists Association (NZDTA)
  • New Zealand Dental Hygienists Association (NZDHA)
  • New Zealand Institute of Dental Technologists (NZIDT) (excluding international CPD activities)
  • The University of Otago
  • The Auckland University of Technology (AUT)
  • Auckland Regional Services (ARDS)
  • Canterbury District Health Board
  • Hawkes Bay District Health Board
  • Hutt Valley District Health Board
  • Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
  • Northland District Health Board
  • Southland District Health Board
  • Taranaki District Health Board
  • Waikato District Health Board
  • Australian Dental Association New South Wales Centre for Professional Dental Development
  • Those organisations approved by prescribed qualification providers as an approved provider of verifiable CPD
Organisations wishing to seek CPD provider status should refer to the Dental Council's Policy on the approval of providers and/or authorisers of continuing professional development (CPD) activities.
 
The professional associations (NZDA, NZAO, NZIDT, NZDTA and NZDHA) are responsible for evaluating and approving applications for an activity to be approved for verifiable CPD purposes for their members. The NZDA provides this service for all dentists, regardless of membership. Where an oral health practitioner (apart from dentists) is not a member of their professional association, practitioners may apply to have individual courses approved by the Council. The Dental Council's Policy on the Approval of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Activities provides information on this process.
 
A list of approved CPD activities and approved CPD providers can found in the latest list published by the Dental Council.
 

Keeping a record

Practitioners must keep a record of their CPD activities for two complete cycles (eight years). Copies of these records may be required by the Dental Council as part of the compliance audits associated with the recertification cycles.
 
As a minimum, the CPD record should include:
  • a list of the continuing education and peer contact activities undertaken including date, time involved, location, description of the activity
  • supporting documentation - eg certificate of attendance.
Further details about keeping a record can be found in the Policy on continuing professional development activities.
 
The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) cycle for dental therapists, hygienists, orthodontic auxiliaries, dental technicians and clinical dental technicians ended on 31 December 2009.
 
If you have not yet submitted your CPD activity summary to the Dental Council, download and complete this form and attach it to your APC application.