Dr. John O’Keefe spoke with Dr. Anne Twomey, past President of the Irish Dental Association and who recently addressed the Irish Gerontologist’s Society. The society is composed of consultant geriatricians who are strong advocates for multidisciplinary team approaches in caring for patients; however, no dentist had spoken to this organization to date. As such, Dr. Twomey shared her experiences and insights gained from her practice with their members. Highlights Better outcomes for patients can be expected, if dentists are included in patient care early in their overall care plan. Preventive care is very important for elderly patients. There are several ...

Dr. Chiraz Guessaier spoke with Dr. Cristin Kearns about the journey that sugar has taken to fully permeate our diet. Dr. Kearns research started to look at the practices of the sugar industry in 2007. Highlights Dentists often speak with patients on an individual level about the impact sugar in diets has on dental health; however, the discussion should also involve the population at large. Food labelling practices promote foods that are high in sugar. The cane and beet sugar industry has had a strong influence on the food industry by casting doubts on the link between sugar and health ...

Timothy Brown, CEO of ROI Corporation, spoke with Dr. Suham Alexander about the potential impact of the recent US elections on the increased interest in the Canadian dental marketplace. Since the election, there has been increased traffic and interest in subscribing to ROI Corporation’s website and newsletters, respectively by US-based dentists, many of whom are presumably Canadians training or living and working in the United States. With the more than adequate supply of dentists training and working in Canada, an influx of dentists trained in the US or further abroad would only further increase our supply of dental professionals while ...

Dr. Flavia Lamberghini, a pediatric dentist and Assistant Professor in the pediatric dentistry department at University of Illinois Chicago, recently spoke to Dr. Suham Alexander about her experience in treating Syrian refugee children. Dr. Lamberghini, sympathetic to the situation of the Syrian refugees, was able to connect with the Syrian community in Chicago through a patient of hers to organize a day dedicated to serving this population. With the help of colleagues in her practice, educational materials were translated into Arabic and Arabic-speaking translator were asked to volunteer to help on the designated clinical day. The day not only provided ...

Dr. Naty Lopez, from the School of Dentistry in the University of Minnesota, spoke with Dr. Chiraz Guessaier about a recently implemented program aimed at encouraging new graduates to practice in rural areas. Dr. Lopez is Associate Professor in Dental Public Health and Assistant Dean of Admissions and Diversity in the U of MN School of Dentistry.  Highlights The “Minnesota Collaborative Rural Oral Health” project is a 5-year training program funded by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services to help address the lack of access to oral health care in rural populations as well as lack of oral health ...

Ms. Alisha Somji, MPH, spoke with Dr. Chiraz Guessaier about the recent article that she c0-authored in the Journal of the California Dental Association about the role of oral health professionals in advocating for soda taxes and sugar impact on oral health.  Highlights This article was written after Berkeley Media Studies Group analyzed media involving sugary drinks and found information on the effect of sugar on oral health was absent in coverage. The information was linked to diabetes and/or obesity while dental caries remains a chronic preventable disease. Sugar taxes are voted on in several communities. The voices of dental ...

Dr. Amarjit Rihal, from Manitoba, spoke with Dr. Chiraz Guessaier about his recent election to Chair of the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. Highlights The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) is a national body responsible for accrediting dental, dental specialty, dental assisting and dental hygiene programs in Canada and is comprised of various stakeholders. The commission reviews educational programs and services via structured on-site survey visits. As Chair, Dr. Rihal serves as the spokesperson of the Commission and the liaison with external stakeholders in conjunction with the CDAC Director Mr. Frederic Duguay. The committees and the Commission meet ...

Dr. Lois Cohen, Consultant and Paul G. Rogers Ambassador for Global Health Research, spoke with Dr. Chiraz Guessaier about her participation in the Women Dentist Worldwide Forum during the FDI World Congress in Poznan Poland. Highlights Dr. Cohen spoke at the FDI’s Women Dentist Worldwide Forum in Poland about “Global Health through Oral Health: Issues and Challenges”. She focused on global trends in oral health and their implications for gender issues. The World Health Organization defines health as: … not only the absence of infirmity and disease, but is also the state of physical, mental and social well-being. Global health problems, issues ...