{"id":31276,"date":"2026-07-24T22:15:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T22:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/?page_id=31276"},"modified":"2026-07-24T22:17:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T22:17:58","slug":"how-to-respond-to-an-rcdso-complaint","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/how-to-respond-to-an-rcdso-complaint\/","title":{"rendered":"How to respond to an RCDSO complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"31276\" class=\"elementor elementor-31276\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-415989f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"415989f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c64eb0d elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"c64eb0d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n<!-- How to respond to an RCDSO complaint | Elementor Custom HTML fragment -->\r\n<!-- Body only. 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Support<\/a><span>\/<\/span><a href=\"\/can\/knowledge-support\/\">Dentists &mdash; Ontario<\/a><span>\/<\/span>Responding to an RCDSO complaint\r\n  <\/nav>\r\n\r\n  <p class=\"eyebrow\">Ontario &middot; Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario<\/p>\r\n  <h1>How to respond to an RCDSO complaint<\/h1>\r\n  <div class=\"meta\"><b>9 min read<\/b><span>Last updated July 14, 2026<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n  <p class=\"lede\">The College must investigate every complaint, however trivial it looks to you. And because the ICRC decides on the paper record, your written response is in most cases the <strong>only<\/strong> submission you will ever make.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"callout\">\r\n    <p><b>Do this first:<\/b> Diarise the response deadline &mdash; usually 35 days &mdash; and pull the complete record for the patient before you write a word: chart, treatment plan, radiographs, consent, ledger and insurance statements. Contact the RCDSO Professional Liability Program (PLP) and consider a lawyer experienced in RCDSO defence. Do not contact the complainant.<\/p>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <h2>The College has no discretion to ignore it<\/h2>\r\n  <p>Dentists in Ontario are regulated by the <strong>Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario<\/strong> (RCDSO) under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), the Health Professions Procedural Code in Schedule 2, and the Dentistry Act, 1991. The first thing to absorb is that under <strong>section 25(1)<\/strong> of the Code the College must investigate and act on all complaints, subject to very limited exceptions. It does not matter how trivial the complaint appears to you, or how strongly you disagree with it. Once it is filed, a process starts and you are in it.<\/p>\r\n  <p>The complaint can come from anyone. Most come from patients, but they also come from other dentists, from insurers, and from the College itself. The mandate driving all of this is public protection &mdash; not fairness to you, and not compensation for the patient.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>The 14 days, and the 35 days<\/h2>\r\n  <p>The College is required to give you a copy of the complaint within <strong>14 days<\/strong>, and it normally allows <strong>35 days<\/strong> for your written response. If you need longer, ask the assigned investigator for an extension &mdash; before the deadline, not after it.<\/p>\r\n  <p>That letter is easy to misjudge because it arrives looking like administration. It is not. It is the opening of the only real opportunity you get to put your side of the case.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>Why the written response carries the whole weight<\/h2>\r\n  <p>The entire process before the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee is conducted on paper. Dentists have <strong>no right to call witnesses and no right to make oral representations<\/strong> to the ICRC. You will almost certainly never explain your clinical reasoning to the panel in person. Whatever you write is what they read.<\/p>\r\n  <p>There is a trap inside that. If the ICRC reviews your response and finds that it failed to address a particular concern raised in the complaint, there may be <strong>no further opportunity<\/strong> to deal with it before the decision is made. So the response has to answer every complaint made &mdash; not just the ones you consider serious, and not just the ones you find easy to answer.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>Everything you send is shown to the complainant<\/h2>\r\n  <p>This surprises dentists, and it should change how you write. All correspondence you submit during the investigation is disclosed to the complainant, who is given an opportunity to comment on it. A response written in irritation, or one that characterises the patient unkindly, does not stay between you and the College. Write it as though the patient will read it &mdash; because they will.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>What to enclose<\/h2>\r\n  <p>Identify and copy the complete record as soon as the letter arrives, and enclose it with your response. That normally means:<\/p>\r\n  <ul>\r\n      <li>The patient chart and clinical notes, treatment plans and radiographs.<\/li>\r\n      <li>Consent documentation and any correspondence with the patient.<\/li>\r\n      <li>The financial ledger, receipts and insurance statements &mdash; money is frequently part of the story.<\/li>\r\n      <li>The relevant policy or protocol you were working to, where the complaint concerns process rather than clinical care.<\/li>\r\n  <\/ul>\r\n  <p>If your records are electronic, supply them in full rather than in excerpt. A partial record invites the investigator to ask what is missing.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>What the ICRC can do &mdash; and what it cannot<\/h2>\r\n  <p>A panel of the ICRC &mdash; typically two dentists and a public member &mdash; reviews the file and applies a published <strong>risk assessment framework<\/strong>, weighing the degree of risk to patient safety and explaining that analysis in its written reasons. It may take no action; give advice or recommendations; require you to attend for a <strong>caution<\/strong>; order a <strong>Specified Continuing Education or Remediation Programme (SCERP)<\/strong>; accept an <strong>undertaking<\/strong>; refer specified allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence to the <strong>Discipline Committee<\/strong>; or refer the matter for incapacity proceedings.<\/p>\r\n  <p>What it cannot do is order money. The ICRC has <strong>no jurisdiction to order financial compensation<\/strong>. A patient who wants a refund is in the wrong forum &mdash; which is worth knowing, because it tells you what the case is actually about.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>The Public Register<\/h2>\r\n  <p>Three outcomes follow you into public view. Where the ICRC issues a <strong>caution<\/strong>, orders a <strong>SCERP<\/strong>, or refers a matter to <strong>Discipline<\/strong>, that is posted on your profile on the Public Register &mdash; searchable by any patient or employer through &ldquo;Find a Dentist&rdquo;. Criminal charges are posted too. This is precisely why the difference between advice and a SCERP is worth fighting for at the response stage rather than afterwards.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>Alternative Dispute Resolution<\/h2>\r\n  <p>Some relatively minor complaints can be diverted early into the College&rsquo;s <strong>Alternative Dispute Resolution<\/strong> process. Both you and the complainant must consent; the College appoints a facilitator to attempt a mediated resolution; and any resolution reached must still be ratified by the ICRC. Where it is offered and the matter is suitable, ADR is often the cleanest available exit.<\/p>\r\n  <h2>If the decision goes against you<\/h2>\r\n  <p>Both you and the complainant can ask the <strong>Health Professions Appeal and Review Board<\/strong> (HPARB) to review an ICRC complaint decision. HPARB asks two questions only: was the investigation adequate, and was the decision reasonable. It does not rehear the case. Referrals to the Discipline Committee and to incapacity proceedings cannot be reviewed. Dentists increasingly seek review precisely because cautions and SCERPs now appear on the register.<\/p>\r\n  <p>For the investigation stage itself, read <a href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/knowledge-support\/dentists\/ontario\/investigation\/\">what happens during an RCDSO investigation<\/a>. For the corrective record that changes an outcome, read <a href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/knowledge-support\/dentists\/ontario\/remediation\/\">remediation and reflection for Ontario dentists<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n  <section class=\"kt\">\r\n    <h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\r\n    <ul>\r\n      <li>Under s.25(1) of the Health Professions Procedural Code, the College must investigate and act on all complaints, subject to very limited exceptions.<\/li>\r\n      <li>You are normally given 35 days to respond in writing, after receiving a copy of the complaint within 14 days.<\/li>\r\n      <li>The ICRC decides on paper. There is no right to call witnesses or make oral submissions to it.<\/li>\r\n      <li>Anything you send the College is disclosed to the complainant, who can comment on it.<\/li>\r\n      <li>Cautions, SCERPs and referrals to discipline are published on your Public Register profile.<\/li>\r\n      <li>The ICRC has no jurisdiction to order financial compensation &mdash; a refund is not what is at stake.<\/li>\r\n    <\/ul>\r\n  <\/section>\r\n\r\n  <section class=\"courses\">\r\n    <h2>Related courses<\/h2>\r\n    <p class=\"sub\">Courses that map to what the ICRC actually reads &mdash; your account, your records and your standards:<\/p>\r\n    <div class=\"cgrid\">\r\n      <a class=\"ccard\" href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/courses\/dealing-with-a-complaint-or-investigation-professionally\/\"><b>Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally<\/b><span>How to handle a College letter and prepare a measured written response.<\/span><\/a>\r\n      <a class=\"ccard\" href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/courses\/documentation-for-healthcare-professionals\/\"><b>Documentation for Healthcare Professionals<\/b><span>The chart is the evidence the ICRC reads &mdash; how to keep records that hold up.<\/span><\/a>\r\n      <a class=\"ccard\" href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/courses\/ethics-and-ethical-standards-for-dentists-and-dental-professionals\/\"><b>Ethics and Ethical Standards for Dentists and Dental Professionals<\/b><span>The professional standards the College measures your conduct against.<\/span><\/a>\r\n      <a class=\"ccard\" href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/courses\/effective-communication-for-healthcare-professionals\/\"><b>Effective Communication for Healthcare Professionals<\/b><span>Most complaints begin with a breakdown in communication, not clinical error.<\/span><\/a>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/section>\r\n\r\n  <section class=\"nextset\">\r\n    <h2>Continue reading<\/h2>\r\n    <div class=\"ngrid\">\r\n      <a class=\"ncard\" href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/what-happens-during-an-rcdso-investigation\">What happens during an RCDSO investigation?<\/a>\r\n      <a class=\"ncard\" href=\"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/remediation-and-reflection-for-ontario-dentists\">Remediation and reflection for Ontario dentists<\/a>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/section>\r\n\r\n  <section class=\"faq\">\r\n    <h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\r\n      <details>\r\n        <summary>How long do I have to respond to an RCDSO complaint?<\/summary>\r\n        <div class=\"ans\">Normally 35 days. The College must give you a copy of the complaint within 14 days of receiving it. If you need more time, ask the assigned investigator for an extension before the deadline passes.<\/div>\r\n      <\/details>\r\n      <details>\r\n        <summary>Can I ignore a complaint I think is frivolous?<\/summary>\r\n        <div class=\"ans\">No. Under section 25(1) of the Health Professions Procedural Code the College must investigate and act on all complaints, subject to very limited exceptions. Your view of the merits does not stop the process, and a poor response can make things worse.<\/div>\r\n      <\/details>\r\n      <details>\r\n        <summary>Will I get to explain myself to the ICRC in person?<\/summary>\r\n        <div class=\"ans\">Almost certainly not. The process before the ICRC is conducted on paper. Dentists have no right to call witnesses or make oral representations, so the written response is usually the only submission you will ever make.<\/div>\r\n      <\/details>\r\n      <details>\r\n        <summary>Does the complainant see what I write?<\/summary>\r\n        <div class=\"ans\">Yes. Correspondence you submit during the investigation is disclosed to the complainant, who has an opportunity to comment on it. Write your response on the assumption that the patient will read every word.<\/div>\r\n      <\/details>\r\n      <details>\r\n        <summary>Can the ICRC order me to refund the patient?<\/summary>\r\n        <div class=\"ans\">No. The ICRC has no jurisdiction to order financial compensation. A patient seeking a refund or damages must pursue that elsewhere; the College&rsquo;s concern is risk to patients and your conduct as a professional.<\/div>\r\n      <\/details>\r\n      <details>\r\n        <summary>What appears on the Public Register?<\/summary>\r\n        <div class=\"ans\">Cautions, SCERPs and referrals to the Discipline Committee are posted on your public profile, along with criminal charges. Advice, recommendations and a decision to take no action are not published in the same way.<\/div>\r\n      <\/details>\r\n  <\/section>\r\n\r\n  <p class=\"disc\">This guide describes the process of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario. It is general information about how the regulator works and is <strong>not legal advice<\/strong>. Every case turns on its own facts. Before you respond to the College, contact your liability protection through the RCDSO Professional Liability Program (PLP) and consider a lawyer experienced in RHPA regulatory matters and RCDSO defence. Completing a course does not resolve a College matter and does not guarantee any outcome. Last updated July 14, 2026.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/article>\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\r\n{\r\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\r\n  \"@graph\": [\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Article\",\r\n      \"headline\": \"How to respond to an RCDSO complaint\",\r\n      \"description\": \"How to respond to an RCDSO complaint: the 35-day deadline, why the ICRC decides on paper, what goes on the Public Register, and how to build a response.\",\r\n      \"inLanguage\": \"en-CA\",\r\n      \"datePublished\": \"2026-07-14\",\r\n      \"dateModified\": \"2026-07-14\",\r\n      \"author\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Person\",\r\n        \"name\": \"Dr Shehzad Iqbal\",\r\n        \"jobTitle\": \"MRCS, MRCGP, PG Cert Healthcare Law & Ethics (University of Dundee)\"\r\n      },\r\n      \"publisher\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"Organization\",\r\n        \"name\": \"Healthcare Ethics Courses\",\r\n        \"url\": \"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/\"\r\n      },\r\n      \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\r\n        \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\r\n        \"@id\": \"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/knowledge-support\/dentists\/ontario\/complaints\/\"\r\n      },\r\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/knowledge-support\/dentists\/ontario\/complaints\/\",\r\n      \"about\": \"Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario\"\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\r\n      \"itemListElement\": [\r\n        {\r\n          \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\r\n          \"position\": 1,\r\n          \"name\": \"Knowledge & Support\",\r\n          \"item\": \"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/knowledge-support\/\"\r\n        },\r\n        {\r\n          \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\r\n          \"position\": 2,\r\n          \"name\": \"Dentists \u2014 Ontario\",\r\n          \"item\": \"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/knowledge-support\/dentists\/ontario\/\"\r\n        },\r\n        {\r\n          \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\r\n          \"position\": 3,\r\n          \"name\": \"How to respond to an RCDSO complaint\",\r\n          \"item\": \"https:\/\/healthcareethicscourses.com\/can\/knowledge-support\/dentists\/ontario\/complaints\/\"\r\n        }\r\n      ]\r\n    },\r\n    {\r\n      \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\r\n      \"mainEntity\": [\r\n        {\r\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n          \"name\": \"How long do I have to respond to an RCDSO complaint?\",\r\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n            \"text\": \"Normally 35 days. 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The process before the ICRC is conducted on paper. Dentists have no right to call witnesses or make oral representations, so the written response is usually the only submission you will ever make.\"\r\n          }\r\n        },\r\n        {\r\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n          \"name\": \"Does the complainant see what I write?\",\r\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n            \"text\": \"Yes. Correspondence you submit during the investigation is disclosed to the complainant, who has an opportunity to comment on it. Write your response on the assumption that the patient will read every word.\"\r\n          }\r\n        },\r\n        {\r\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n          \"name\": \"Can the ICRC order me to refund the patient?\",\r\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n            \"text\": \"No. The ICRC has no jurisdiction to order financial compensation. 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