Are you up to date with your CPD? Three-year cycle ends in November

03 Oct 2022

The CPD cycle ends on 30 November 2022 – are you on track to meet the requirement?

If you’re a registered dental practitioner, you need to meet the Continuing professional development registration standard, set by the Dental Board of Australia (the Board), to meet your registration requirements.

To meet the standard, you must complete a minimum of 60 hours of CPD activities over a three-year CPD cycle. The current cycle started on 1 December 2019 and ends on 30 November 2022.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is how dental practitioners maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge, expertise and competence, and develop the personal and professional qualities required throughout their professional lives.

CPD during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Board and Ahpra acknowledged that in 2020 and 2021 that the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected your ability to carry out CPD in various ways. Although many CPD activities can be delivered flexibly and in COVID-safe ways, the Board understands that there may be practitioners who were not able to carry out sufficient CPD in those years.

Due to the exceptional circumstances of COVID-19, the Board will not take action if you have not been able to complete CPD during 2020 or 2021, and because of this, have not been able to meet the Board’s CPD Registration standard for the CPD cycle 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2022.

It’s important that you answer all questions honestly and accurately when completing your registration renewal. You must declare that you have not met the CPD requirements if that is the case. In the future the Board may request evidence of what you have done to address any identified gaps in your CPD learning needs.

For practitioners who have not been able to meet the Board’s CPD Registration standard for the CPD cycle 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2022 we encourage you to make up the shortfall in hours during the next CPD cycle.

Practitioners who hold an endorsement to practise conscious sedation have a professional obligation to complete a competency based course in dental sedation and medical emergencies every year, under the Endorsement for conscious sedation registration standard. Practitioners who hold the endorsement must meet this requirement when renewing in 2022.

Tools to help you with CPD

The Board has developed a reflective practice tool to help dental practitioners reflect on their individual knowledge and skills and how they relate to their current practice. The tool can help plan CPD and the Board recommends using it regularly to reflect on current practice.

Time taken to complete the tool may be claimed as CPD. To find out more and to download the tool, go to the Know your scope information hub.

You can find the registration standard, Guidelines for continuing professional development and more on the Board’s CPD webpage.