Dr. John O’Keefe spoke with Dr. Nastaran Sharifian, currently studying for a master’s degree at the University of Montreal. Dr. Sharifian conducted research on the topic of access to dental care in rural areas of Canada.       Research Aims Help understand dental students’ perceptions of setting up a practice in rural areas. The assumption was that understanding the barriers to setting up practice in rural areas, could help design strategies to encourage young dentists to practice in those areas. Resource Rural Dentistry website at www.ruraldentistry.com The project aims to: Draw attention on the current situation of oral health ...

In the latest issue of Dispatch (August/September 2014), the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) published a brochure for dentists on how to avoid being sued by patients.The brochure contains valuable information that could help dentists across Canada improve their relationship with patients and avoid the threat of legal action. Here is a brief summary.   Download the two-page brochure (PDF) The threat of a claim for professional negligence hangs over every Canadian health practitioner. Though an unfortunate reality in our society, there are things dentists can do to mitigate that threat. The following are tips for minimizing the risk of ...

Following the two-day symposium held by the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University on Light Curing in Dentistry, a pictorial guide was developed to help clinicians get the best results from your curing light. We need your feedback in reviewing and gauging the benefit of this pictorial guide, by answering the following questions: Is the guide clear or do you need more detailed instructions? Would you prefer an emphasis on images or text? How would you use the guide? Download the Pictorial Guide (PDF) Please leave a comment in the textbox below. Thank you. You can state your name or ...

Chiraz Guessaier, CDA Oasis Manager, spoke with Dr. Olva Odlum, senior scholar in the Department of Preventive Dentistry at the University of Manitoba, about the issue of extreme early childhood caries and their link to systemic health.       Listen to the audio interview   Interview Highlights The number of children between the ages of 2 and 5 presenting in hospitals every year with obvious signs of malnutrition is staggering. These are children with extreme early childhood caries. It is important for Canadian dentists to know about this issue because current research shows that broken and abscessed teeth in very ...

A two-day international symposium on Light Curing in Dentistry was held at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada on May 29th and 30th, 2014. The symposium was attended by over 40 key opinion leaders from academia and industry who worked together to develop following advice to practitioners about light curing.   Consensus Statement printable version Read the jcda.ca feature on the topic When selecting a light curing unit (LCU) Recognize that all lights are not created equal. Use a LCU from a manufacturer who provides contact information, a user manual, and service. Preferably the LCU should have received a favourable report or ...

Context In February 2009, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) agreed on the need to develop a global legally binding instrument, or treaty, on mercury. It tasked governments to negotiate through an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Mercury, which met five times beginning in June 2010 and concluding in January 2013. The resulting international instrument is called the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Opened for signature in October 2013, it provides controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted. The Convention’s provisions for dental amalgam—a mercury-added product containing 50% mercury—make ...

On September 12, 2014, FDI World Dental Federation launched its Data Hub for Global Oral Health, a first of its kind online data-base for oral health and related information. The FDI Data Hub has been developed under the umbrella of Vision 2020: FDI’s guidelines to shaping the future of oral health. It builds on the strengths and successes of the Oral Health Atlas, published in 2009, which is FDI’s comprehensive sourcebook for raising awareness of key oral health issues and promoting oral health literacy and advocacy. The Vision 2020 work reflects input from the profession, academia and the dental industry. ...

By Alexandra Rabalski For over 9 years Henry Schein has been running the Back to School Program across Canada for children that come from underprivileged families. At this fun event, children receive backpacks filled with school supplies and healthy snacks. This year the program broke their record with the highest number of backpacks distributed in Canada, an amazing 710! At the Niagara location, many activity tents were set up for families to visit. Children were able to go on the bouncy castles, get their face painted, visit the reptile booth and interact with EMS and Fire services. When rest was ...