Profession-specific standards3 hours
Ethics for Dental Professionals
The SDC ECEG applied to fees and conflicts, consent, OHTs, aesthetic procedures, clinic advertising, disclosure, records and fair care.
S$125DetailsAdd to cart
Profession-specific standards
Professional Standards for Dental Professionals
Registration, titles, the dentist and OHT team, supervision, infection control, emergencies, sedation, radiation and the SDC's expectations of dental practitioners in Singapore
- 3hours (estimated)
- 11sections
- 20final questions
- 80%pass mark
- PDFcertificate
- Online and self-paced, on any device
- Reflective account template
- Knowledge checks in every section
- Instant certificate of completion
What you will learn
- Describe the forms of registration under the Dental Registration Act 1999 and the requirements for renewing a practising certificate.
- Apply the statutory and ECEG rules on titles, specialist status and the display of qualifications.
- Organise work between dentists and OHTs, and supervision of conditionally registered dentists, in line with the Act and SDC requirements.
- Delegate safely to dental surgery assistants and students under ECEG 5.1.1.7 and 5.11.
- Maintain an infection prevention and control system with reliable reprocessing, traceability and waterline management.
- Prepare a dental team for medical emergencies, and meet the competence, facilities and accreditation requirements for sedation and aesthetic facial procedures.
- Apply NEA radiation requirements and ECEG 5.1.3 to radiography and prescribing.
- Keep records and handle patient data, photographs and complaints in line with the ECEG and the PDPA, and comply with the 2021 advertising regulations.
- Act on concerns about a colleague's fitness to practise and meet specific reporting duties.
- Use CPE, the ESAE and good planning to maintain standards across career transitions, and respond to an SDC process with insight and credible remediation.
Who this course is for
Dentists, dental specialists and oral health therapists registered with the Singapore Dental Council, including conditionally and temporarily registered dentists and their supervisors; also clinic owners, Principal Officers and practice managers.
After a concern
Structured learning and a written reflection to show insight after a complaint, an investigation or a board inquiry.
Routine CPD
Focused learning on a core standard of practice, with a certificate and reflection for your portfolio.
About this course
This course explains the professional standards that govern how dentists, dental specialists and oral health therapists work in Singapore, and how dental teams are organised to meet them: registration and the practising certificate under the Dental Registration Act 1999, protected titles and the display of qualifications, the working relationship between dentists and OHTs, supervision of conditionally registered dentists, safe delegation to dental surgery assistants, infection prevention and control, medical emergencies and BCLS, sedation and SDC accreditation for aesthetic facial procedures, radiation safety and prescribing, records and patient data under the PDPA, complaints, online conduct and the 2021 advertising regulations, concerns about colleagues, CPE and the Ethics Self-Assessment Exercise, career transitions and the SDC's disciplinary process.
It is written for dentists, dental specialists and OHTs registered with the Singapore Dental Council, including conditionally and temporarily registered dentists and their supervisors, and is useful for clinic owners, Principal Officers and practice managers who organise dental teams. Case studies are set in Singapore settings, from single-chair heartland clinics to multi-branch groups, school and paediatric services and hospital departments.
The SDC Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines are applied by Complaints Committees, Disciplinary Committees and the Health Committee, and clinics are licensed and inspected by MOH under the Healthcare Services Act 2020. Many concerns about dental practitioners turn on everyday systems: a lapsed PC or accreditation, an unvalidated steriliser, an expired emergency kit, an unsupervised OHT or a non-compliant social media post. This course helps you check those systems, close gaps and evidence your standards.
Course details
- Learning time
- Approximately 3 hours of learning (estimated time including knowledge checks, reflection and assessment)
- Standards covered
- SDC Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines 2018; Dental Registration Act 1999 (registration, practising certificates, titles, complaints and discipline); SDC requirements for CPE, BCLS, the Ethics Self-Assessment Exercise and supervision of conditionally registered dentists; Guidelines on Aesthetic Facial Procedures for Dental Practitioners (AFP 2021); Healthcare Services Act 2020 and Healthcare Services (Advertisement) Regulations 2021; PDPA 2012 and PDPC Advisory Guidelines for the Healthcare Sector (2023); Radiation Protection Act 2007; Misuse of Drugs Act 1973; national IPC guidance
- Format
- Self-paced, gated lessons with knowledge checks, case studies and reflection
- Assessment
- 20 scenario-based questions, 80% to pass (16 of 20)
Course curriculum
11 sections · 26 lessons · 3 hours (estimated) · 20-question final assessment
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1The dental team and the legal basis of professional standards3 lessons
- Professional standards for the whole dental team
- Registration, the practising certificate and the Dental Registration Act
- Holding yourself out: titles, qualifications and the public register
-
2Team roles, supervision and delegation3 lessons
- Dentists and oral health therapists: working together within the Act and the Code
- Supervising conditionally registered dentists
- Dental surgery assistants, students and safe delegation
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3The clinical environment I: infection prevention and control3 lessons
- Infection prevention and control as a professional duty
- Reprocessing, traceability, validation and waterlines
- Standard precautions, exposure incidents and practitioner health
-
4The clinical environment II: emergencies, sedation, radiation and medicines3 lessons
- Medical emergencies: BCLS, equipment and team drills
- Sedation, aesthetic facial procedures and other extended practice
- Radiation safety and prescribing: two areas of shared legal duty
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5Records, complaints, online conduct and advertising3 lessons
- Dental records, recordings and patient data
- Handling complaints in a dental practice
- Online reviews, social media, advertising and remote consultations
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6Professional conduct, teamwork and concerns3 lessons
- Respectful teams: colleagues, laboratories and leaving a practice
- Conduct outside the surgery, convictions and fitness to practise
- Concerns about colleagues: duties to act and report
-
7Maintaining standards across a career3 lessons
- Making CPE and the Ethics Self-Assessment Exercise work for you
- Career transitions: new registrants, new settings and returning to practice
- Leaving, selling or closing a practice
-
8When standards are questioned: complaints, discipline and remediation2 lessons
- The SDC complaints and disciplinary process
- Insight and a credible remediation plan
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9Conclusion and key points1 lesson
- Conclusion and key points
-
10References and further reading1 lesson
- References and further reading
-
11Reflection1 lesson
- Your reflective account
Assessment and certificate
Final assessment
20scenario-based questions
- Pass mark 80%: 16 correct out of 20
- Knowledge checks in each section as you go
- Tests whether you can apply the standards, not recall a page
- Not passed yet? Review the sections and retake it
Certificate of completion
A certificate of completion for your learning portfolio.
- Your name, the course title and the estimated learning time (record the time you actually spend)
- Completion date and a unique certificate ID that can be verified
- Ready to download as a PDF as soon as you complete the course
Fitness To Practice
Certificate of Completion
This certifies that
Your Name
has successfully completed
Professional Standards for Dental Professionals
3hours (estimated)
Continuing professional development record — Singapore
Your reflective account
The course includes a structured reflective account template: guided prompts to record what you learned, how you will apply it and how the change will show in your practice. It gives you written evidence of insight after a concern, and a ready record for your CPD portfolio.
Write it in your own words and leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a case. If you have an open complaint or case, talk to your adviser before reflecting on it in writing.
Questions about this course
How is this different from the Ethics for Dental Professionals course?
The ethics course looks at ethical reasoning such as consent, confidentiality, fees, conflicts of interest and advertising. This course covers how a dental team is run to the SDC's standards: registration and PC renewal, titles, dentist and OHT roles, supervision of conditionally registered dentists, delegation, infection control, emergencies, sedation and aesthetic accreditation, radiation and prescribing, records, complaints, CPE and the disciplinary process. Many practitioners take both.
Is it suitable for oral health therapists?
Yes. OHTs are registered dental practitioners with their own PC and duties, and the course covers OHT registration and supervision, referral between dentists and OHTs under ECEG 5.1.5, infection control, records, complaints and CPE from the OHT's point of view as well as the dentist's.
Does it help supervisors of conditionally registered dentists?
Yes. A full lesson sets out the SDC's requirements for employers and supervisors, including eligibility, the two-supervisee limit, six-monthly reports, cover for absences and immediate reporting of unsafe practice, with guidance on supervising dentists who are new to Singapore's systems.
Will it count towards my CPE points?
Whether any activity counts is for the SDC to decide under its own rules, so check the SDC's CPE guidance and event listing before relying on it. It does explain the current CPE, BCLS and Ethics Self-Assessment Exercise requirements so you can plan your cycle.
Does it cover the Ethics Self-Assessment Exercise?
It explains what the mandatory ESAE is and when it applies to PC renewal, but it is not the ESAE and cannot replace it. You must complete the SDC's own online exercise.
Can it help after a complaint to the SDC?
It explains the Complaints Committee, Disciplinary Committee and Health Committee processes under the Dental Registration Act and ends with a practical approach to insight and evidenced remediation. If a committee has ordered training, check with the SDC or your lawyer whether this course would be accepted before enrolling.
How long is it and how is it assessed?
About 3 hours of self-paced learning with eight knowledge checks, case studies and a reflective account, and a final assessment of 20 scenario-based questions with an 80% pass mark (16 of 20). You receive a certificate of completion when you pass.
How this course was built
Official sources only
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: the Acts that set up each professional board, the boards' own codes and guidance, and the Ministry of Health. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Original, edition by edition
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
Reviewed when rules change
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.
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