Membership

How is dental assisting in Canada organized?

There are three levels of organization in dental assisting: The Canadian Dental Assistants Association (CDAA)

  1. Canadian Dental Assistants’ Association (CDAA)
  2. Provincial associations/regulatory groups & Royal Canadian Dental Corps (RCDC)
  3. Local Associations

How are dental assistants represented in Canada?

Individual dental assistants are represented at the national level through their provincial dental assisting association. Military dental assistants are represented through the Royal Canadian Dental Corps.   Only provincial associations that are members of the CDAA are represented at the national level.

Who are CDAA members? Are individual dental assistants members of CDAA?

CDAA describes its members (the provincial groups/Royal Canadian Dental Corps) as Organizational Members.

Individual dental assistants are represented by virtue of their provincial association membership in the CDAA or in the case of the military, through the Royal Canadian Dental Corps (RCDC).

Currently, CDAA is comprised of the following Member Organizations:

Manitoba Dental Assistants’ Association

New Brunswick Dental Assistants’ Association

Nova Scotia Dental Assistants’ Association

Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Assistants’ Association

Alberta Association of Dental Assistants

Saskatchewan Dental Assistants’ Association

Ontario Dental Assistants’ Association

Royal Canadian Dental Corps

What is the difference between the provincial associations and the CDAA?

Provincial associations represent individual dental assistants in their province. They provide services and representation to their members and in some cases administer regulation. Direct services to members may include communication on important issues, continuing education and other support initiatives.

CDAA is a federation representing the provincial dental assisting organizations and the dental assisting branch of the Canadian Forces and it is under this arrangement that CDAA speaks for the dental assisting profession at the national level.

CDAA’s services to the profession include:

Advocacy at the national level
Representation at the national level
Undertaking research specific to the profession and related to oral healthcare in Canada
Coordinates preparations for the Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony

Does CDAA provide services to dental assistants on an individual basis?

By virtue of their provincial association being an Organizational Member of the CDAA, individual dental assistants are eligible for group discounts on a variety of services. The current programs that CDAA facilitates for individual dental assistants are:

  • Malpractice Insurance

The CDAA encourages all practicing Dental Assistants to carry their own malpractice insurance in addition to any the employer and/or practice may have.

The CDAA has partnered with Prolink for more than 20 years to offer Malpractice Insurance to our members that includes:

• $2,000,000 liability insurance per occurrence
• $3,000,000 liability insurance annual aggregate

• Coverage for legal defense costs incurred in a claim or lawsuit
• Coverage for legal fees related to disciplinary action by a provincial regulator.
• Coverage for loss of earnings (up to $500 per day)

If you would like more information concerning Malpractice Insurance, please contact the CDAA at: info@cdaa.ca

I am a dental assistant in British Columbia, Quebec, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, or PEI, am I still represented?

Currently, either your provincial association has opted out of membership with the CDAA or there is no provincial/territorial association in your region and unfortunately, no, you are not a member of the CDAA. Please contact us at:  info@cdaa.ca if you intend to form a provincial or territorial association.