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Copyright of Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene is the property of Canadian Dental Hygienists Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the advocacy, public awareness and educational efforts planned by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) in 2011. The CDHA has been persuading the government for legislative changes, and collaborating with groups including First Nations and the Status of Women, among others. Also highlighted are CDHA’s actions to promote dental hygiene, such as an Oral Cancer Awareness webinar, the Federal Elder Abuse Initiative program and the generation of media exposure.

The article discusses the advocacy, public awareness and educational efforts planned by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) in 2011. The CDHA has been persuading the government for legislative changes, and collaborating with groups including First Nations and the Status of Women, among others. Also highlighted are CDHA's actions to promote dental hygiene, such as an Oral Cancer Awareness webinar, the Federal Elder Abuse Initiative program and the generation of media exposure.

The article highlights developments in the dental hygiene profession in Canada. The author admits that when she graduated, she did not think of herself as a professional. But with the help of hygienists with much foresight, the profession's own regulatory bodies were created. In British Columbia, two pioneering dental hygienists had opened practice. In 2006 and 2007, the governments of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan enacted a legislation that permitted dental hygienists to treat clients without direct dentist supervision.

In this article, the author shares the social networking efforts of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) as of July 2010. She enumerates statistics on social media. She shares that CDHA launched its social networking site at the Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. In conclusion, she shares the belief of social media gurus about the commitment of social media.

The article offers tips shared by dental hygienists for achieving success in practice in Canada. Among the tips shared by Sondra Thiederman for effective communication in the healthcare industry include using simple English and looking for non-verbal signs on things not understood by clients, among others. Thiederman also listed ways for better understanding. On the other hand, Dr. Josepha Campinha-Bacote offers ways for becoming culturally competent.

The article offers tips on putting up a mobile dental hygiene practice in Canada. It says that some of the difficulties in such practice are the weight of mobile equipment, time needed to set-up and take-down clinics and travel time and costs. When selecting for mobile equipment, the author says that dental hygienists should consider the physical characteristics of the site, oral health procedures to be offered and transportation and set-up limitations. She adds that staff should be able to coordinate the flow of patients and schedule the facility.

The article looks at leasing premise space for dental hygienists in Canada. The number of providers who may be working at one time and whether or not all of the space needs to be developed by opening day are cited as some of the important factors to consider in designing a practice. Dental hygienists are advised to have a general understanding of the key terms in the lease agreement when deciding on a space. Some of the common terms when negotiating premise lease are defined including the parties and taxes.

The article focuses on the increase in incidence of dental insurance fraud in Canada. The common infractions cited at a meeting of the Canadian Health Care Anti-Fraud Association in June 2008 are the waiving of co-pay and an exaggeration of service in terms of time spent. The insurance industry has responded to the fraud by increasing third party audits and insisting on reasonable and customary fees. It emphasizes the need for dental hygiene practitioners to adhere to best practice guidelines when initiating dental hygiene care.

With the closure of the Canadian dental therapy program in Saskatchewan in 2011 and the increasing need for oral health providers, there have been growing discussions at the national and provincial levels regarding the re-establishment of a provider with dental therapy abilities. The aims of this study were to define models for dental therapy education in Canada and explore how dental therapy abilities could best be integrated into Canadian post-secondary education. In 2017, purposeful sampling was used to invite key informants to participate in a semi-structured interview. Participants were individuals from government, education, and regulation and those working with underserved populations in Canada and internationally. A 75% response rate (n=53) was achieved. Thematic analysis was employed for coding of data and generation of themes. Respondents highlighted the need to include minimally invasive restorative services in the current scope of dental hygiene practice across all Canadian jurisdictions and to build dental therapy abilities with or upon accredited dental hygiene curricula. The models supported by respondents were a fourth-year option built on three-year diploma education, a one-year postgraduate diploma based on a baccalaureate degree and a current dental hygiene registration, and a three-year dental therapy diploma incorporating core courses in accredited dental hygiene diploma education. While the respondents' views were divergent, the educational model that received the most support involved a two- to three-term addition to current three-year dental hygiene diploma education. In contrast to international trends, the respondents valued learner flexibility to exit with a diploma dental hygiene credential, thus making the dental therapy scope optional. These educational models provide a starting point for further analysis and exploration.