Complaint Process

The information contained on this page should not be interpreted or used as legal advice.

After you submit a complaint, the Complaints Director has several options for how to proceed, depending on the circumstances. 

Professional conduct complaints are taken very seriously. The College of Dental Technologists of Alberta (CDTA), as regulator of the dental technology profession under the authority of the Health Professions Act, has a mandate to protect the public from unprofessional conduct and hold registered dental technologists and technicians accountable for their conduct.

Unprofessional conduct includes actions deemed to be "unskilled practice" or involving "professional or ethical misconduct." Any individual in Alberta can submit a complaint about a registered dental technologist or technician to the College, which will investigate and determine whether disciplinary measures are required. 

Should you have concerns regarding the professionalism of a dental technologist or technician, you may file a complaint with the College. The Complaints Director handles complaints in accordance with Part 4 of the Health Professions Act (HPA). Under Part 4 - Professional Conduct - of the HPA, complaints must be submitted in writing to the Complaints Director and cannot be made anonymously. Once received, the College will process the complaint according to the process established in the HPA. 

You cannot file a complaint against a former registrant if more than two years have passed since their registration was cancelled. 

For additional information about the complaint process, refer to the subsequent sections.

How to File a Complaint?

You may submit a written complaint about the professional conduct of a registered dental technologist or technician to the College Complaints Director. 

Your complaint must name the dental technologist or technician and include details such as dates, times, and locations. You may also include supporting documents or evidence.

Access the Complaint Reporting Form

What happens after a complaint is made?

After you submit a written complaint, you will be the complainant, and the dental technologist or technician involved will be referred to as the investigated person. 

The Complaints Director has several options for handling your complaint, depending on the circumstances. You will be informed about the next steps within 30 days of receiving your complaint. Once a complaint is received, the Complaints Director may: 

  • Encourage you and the investigated person to talk directly and try to resolve the issue. 
  • Seek your permission and the investigated person's permission to try to resolve the complaint. 
  • Send the complaint to an alternative resolution process. 
  • Ask an expert to review the case and provide a written report. 
  • Assign an investigator to look into the matter. Decide to dismiss the complaint.
  • Order the investigated person to undergo certain physical or mental examinations if the Complaints Director believes the investigated person may be incapacitated.

If the Complaints Director dismisses the complaint before an investigation begins, the Complaints Director will notify you within 30 days. You have the right to request a review of this decision by a complaint review committee, as explained below.

What if I'm unsatisfied with the outcome?

If your complaint is dismissed and you disagree with the decision, you may request a review by the Hearings Director. 

To do so, you need to submit a written application explaining your reasons for requesting a review within 30 days of being notified of the dismissal. Each review request has a $200.00 fee. 

The Complaint Review Committee of the CDTA will investigate the decision to dismiss your complaint. A Complaint Review Committee consists of public members and dental technologists or technicians. 

You and the person under investigation can both present submissions to the committee. 

The committee can take one of the following actions: 

  • Refer the complaint for a hearing; 
  • Order a further investigation; or 
  • Confirm that the complaint is dismissed.

How long does and investigation take?

If an investigation begins, it may take several weeks or even months, depending on the nature of the complaint and the information needed. 

The HPA requires the Complaints Director to update you on progress every 60 days. Once the review or investigation is finished, you'll be informed of the outcome and the reasons behind it.

If the case goes to a hearing, a Hearing Tribunal will be appointed to hear evidence and make a decision. 

You might be asked to attend and share your testimony.

Complaints about sexual abuse or sexual misconduct

What is Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct? 

Sexual abuse is defined in the HPA and means “the threatened, attempted or actual conduct of a regulated member towards a patient that is of a sexual nature and includes any of the following conduct: 

(i) sexual intercourse between a regulated member and a patient of that regulated member; 

(ii) genital to genital, genital to anal, oral to genital, or oral to anal contact between a regulated member and a patient of that regulated member; 

(iii) masturbation of a regulated member by, or in the presence of, a patient of that regulated member; 

(iv) masturbation of a regulated member’s patient by that regulated member; 

(v) encouraging a regulated member’s patient to masturbate in the presence of that regulated member; (vi) touching of a sexual nature of a patient’s genitals, anus, breasts or buttocks by a regulated member.”

Sexual misconduct as defined in the HPA means “any incident or repeated incidents of objectionable or unwelcome conduct, behaviour or remarks of a sexual nature by a regulated member towards a patient that the regulated member knows or ought reasonably to know will or would cause offence or humiliation to the patient or adversely affect the patient’s health and well-being but does not include sexual abuse.” 

If you believe a dental technologist or technician may have crossed a boundary of a sexual nature, we urge you to contact us at 780.469.0615 or complaintsdirector@cdta.ca

Funding for Treatment and Counselling 

There are a variety of situations in which you may be eligible for funding for counselling or therapy. Filing a complaint with the CRDHA alleging sexual abuse or sexual misconduct by a dental hygienist is one of the eligibility criteria for receiving funding. Please contact us for additional details. 

Phone: 780.469.0615 

Email: complaintsdirector@cdta.ca

Will I receive financial compensation?

No. 

The professional conduct process under the Health Professions Act determines whether a dental technologist or technician acted unprofessionally. 

The Complaints Director and Hearing Tribunal do not have the authority to award monetary damages to complainants. 

If you are seeking financial compensation from a dental technologist or technician, you should consider consulting a legal professional.