Area: Accreditation
Subject: Portability of Accreditation Status
Board Approved date: September 2025

Purpose

The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) is committed to establishing standards for accrediting oral health professional programs to ensure quality education and readiness of practitioners for the workforce. This policy outlines how accreditation status may be transferred (or “ported”) when a program relocates or acquires a new facility for didactic and/or clinical instruction.

Overarching Principles

CDAC’s on-site survey visits aim to confirm that oral health education programs achieve the minimum standards required to meet and maintain accreditation. These visits are intended to support programs in always maintaining compliance with accreditation standards.

A key component of accreditation includes assessing the physical facilities where instruction takes place to ensure they support quality education and safe patient care. All accredited programs are required to report significant changes to CDAC, including relocation or addition of new facility.

Accreditation Status Categories

After an onsite survey, a program is assigned one of the following accreditation statuses:

  • Approved (without reporting requirements)
  • Approved (with reporting requirements)
  • Provisionally approved (with reporting requirements)
  • Intent to Withdraw

Conditions of portability of accreditation status

  1. CDAC will work with the program to determine the date of the next survey which may be brought forward, delayed or maintained to incorporate a review of the new proposed facility.
  2. In all cases, a survey or interim survey will be required before accreditation status can be transferred to a new facility. The survey or interim survey will be conducted prior to the relocation of didactic &/or clinical instruction.
  3. An accreditation status cannot be transferred to a new facility until it has been assessed by CDAC.
  4. Programs that are Provisionally Approved cannot make a request to transfer their accreditation status to a new location/facility.

Procedure

1. Request to transfer accreditation status

  • Programs planning significant changes, including a change in location or facilities, must notify CDAC and provide details confirming adequate resources at the new site. CDAC must be informed prior to students attending didactic and clinical courses in the new
    location/facility.
  • Photographs, floor plans and dimensions of the facility must be sent to CDAC.
  • The program must report on intended number for student enrolments &/or number of cohorts and plans to maintain or increase.
  • The program must provide CDAC with proof of applicable municipal and provincial permits/licences to operate in the new location (i.e. municipal fire inspections, X-ray inspections).
  • The program must provide CDAC with proof of compliance with all Ministerial requirements to operate.
  • The program must provide CDAC with evidence of appropriate insurance to operate.
  • Additionally, all programs must submit an Annual Program Review (APR) by June 30th each year, reporting any major changes—including relocation.
  • The program offered at the new location must comply with the standard requirements.
  • CDAC staff will assess the request and determine the date of the next survey or interim survey.

2. Survey or Interim survey

  • The survey team will assess the new location/facility ability to support program/curriculum delivery and patient care. The survey is to be held prior to relocation into the new facility/location.
  • Results are submitted to the Accreditation Review Committee, which determines whether accreditation status can be ported and if any changes to that status are required
    • The interim survey could result in a lowered accreditation status, requiring additional or new reporting requirements to address gaps/deficiencies in the new location/facility.

3. Report Process

  • CDAC will produce a written report;
  • A draft report is sent to the program for factual verification;
  • CDAC will address any questions or concerns before finalizing the report;
  • The Accreditation Review Committee will confirm the accreditation status and its portability
    to the new location/facility. This will include the approved number for student enrolment
    &/or number of cohorts.

4. Final decision and Communication
The program will receive written confirmation of:

  • Accreditation status;
  • Whether the accreditation status is transferable to the new location;
  • Approved number for student enrolment &/ number or cohorts;
  • A copy of the final report.

Possible Outcomes

  • Accreditation status maintained and is ported over to new location/facility
    • Approved (without reporting requirements)
    • Approved (with reporting requirements)
  • Accreditation status is lowered and is ported over to new location/facility
    • Accreditation status may be downgraded, based on the findings of the survey.
  • Request for porting of accreditation status to new location/facility is denied
    • It is determined that new location/facility is not conducive to providing quality education and readiness of practitioners and/or safe patient care;
    • The program will not maintain its accreditation status if it operates in the new location/facility.

Website and Communication

Upon conclusion of the survey/interim survey, the program or dental service accreditation status will be updated on the CDAC website.

The institution is required to update all public communications (e.g., website, portals, documents) to reflect the revised accreditation status. This includes removing the CDAC accreditation seal and accreditation certificate if the status is changed.

It is the responsibility of the institution to communicate to students, faculty and stakeholders any change in accreditation status of the program.