CDAC Public Consultation – Invitation to Provide Comments

Bridge Training to Dental Practice in Canada (BTDPC) – Draft Standard Addendum

Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC)
Consultation Period: September 22 – October 22, 2025 (30 days)

Purpose of this Consultation

The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) invites all interested stakeholders to review and provide feedback on the Draft Standard Addendum, which has been developed for the new ACFD Bridge Training to Dental Practice in Canada (BTDPC) Program. This addendum is being developed to guide and evaluate programs that will participate in the new program which aims to become a third pathway to licensure for internationally trained dentists (ITD) in Canada.

This standard addendum applies only to institutions that currently offer an accredited DDS/DMD program. It is intended to supplement and align with the existing CDAC DDS/DMD Accreditation Standards.  It is in conjunction with these standards that the supplement must be interpreted.

Your feedback is critical to ensure that the addendum is clear, comprehensive, fair and aligned with national regulatory and best practices in Canadian dental education, accreditation principles and public safety.

How to Participate

We invite you to review the Draft BTDPC Standard Addendum in conjunction with the CDAC DDS/DMD Accreditation Standards and submit your comments by Wednesday, 22 October 2025.

You may access the draft documents and related materials here:

How to Submit Comments

You may submit your feedback in one of the following ways:

  1. Online Comment Form (Preferred)
    Submit comments by using the structured feedback clause-based form available at this link CDAC Online Consultation Form
  1. Email Submissions
    Send your written comments using the CDAC Comment Template (.docx) to Ester Williams, Manager of Standards Development at: [email protected] (Please include your name, affiliation (if any) in your email).

What Is CDAC Looking For?

To ensure meaningful feedback, you are encouraged to provide substantive comments in consideration of the following aspects:

  • Clarity: Are the additional requirements and expectations in each clause understandable and practical for programs?
  • Completeness: Are there important areas missing from the addendum standard?
  • Feasibility: Are the timelines, clinical expectations and program structures realistic and feasible for institutions and candidates’ readiness?
  • Alignment: Does the draft align with existing DDS/DMD standards, competencies and current regulatory requirements?
  • Equity: Does the standard fairly consider the experience of internationally trained dentists (ITDs) and fair assessment of gaps?

Note: CDAC is not accepting substantive comments on the existing DDS/DMD Accreditation Standard during this consultation. A separate project is currently underway to develop new outcomes-based standards for Dentistry, Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs. Public consultation on those new draft standards will be conducted separately.

What Happens Next

  • All feedback will be reviewed by the Standards Committee BTDPC Working Group.
  • Substantive comments will be evaluated for inclusion, revision or clarification in the final draft.
  • The final draft will be reviewed by the Standards Committee to submit a recommendation for approval by the CDAC Board of Directors in November 2025.
  • The BTDPC Standard Addendum is anticipated for publication in December 2025.

Note: A summary report and the resulting changes will be published on the CDAC website.

Contact Us

For questions about this consultation or if you require the draft in an alternate format, please contact:

We thank you in advance for your time and valued contributions toward a fair and consistent pathway for internationally trained dentists (ITDs) in Canada.