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News & Events News Bites

News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2019/10/16

Federal Elections

Explainer: Federal election 2019: The definitive guide to the issues and party platforms. theglobeandmail.com: On everything from climate change to pharmacare, the parties who want to win your vote on Oct. 21 have sharply different visions for Canada. Here’s a primer on where each of them stands. Read more

Pharmacists press federal parties to address persistent drug shortages. cbc.ca: Pharmacists in Canada want to hear more from the federal leaders about what they plan to do to address drug shortages. The Canadian Pharmacists Association said there have been 178 drug shortages reported since the federal election was called last month. Read more

Civil servants get the Rolls Royce of pharmacare while party leaders can’t even muster a decent plan. nationalpost.com [Opinion]: National pharmacare is part of the election platforms of three federal political parties. The three plans differ but opinion polls show most Canadians do support a national insurance scheme for prescription drugs. Will election promises bring the benefits Canadians need? Read more

Election 2019: unprecedented hope for universal pharmacare. cmaj.ca: However, in the 2019 federal election campaign, there are reasons for unprecedented optimism that this answer could change soon — if the people of Canada care enough to ensure that the next government delivers on the long-delayed promise of universal access to essential medications. Read more

Oct. 15: Race tightens with just six days to go. cbc.ca: Angus Reid Institute’s Shachi Kurl and CBC’s Eric Grenier break down the latest poll numbers. Watch/Listen 1:31:50

‘Nothing short of disappointing’: North a low priority in federal election. cbc.ca: Northerners say they’ve heard promises, but see little action on critical issues. Read more

The Canadian Cancer Society welcomes Conservative Party commitment to implement annual cost recovery fee on tobacco industry. cancer.ca: The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) welcomes the Conservative Party of Canada’s commitment in its election platform to implement an annual fee on the tobacco industry to recover the cost of the federal government’s tobacco control strategy. Read more

The players who would be king: A look at six scenarios for a minority government after the federal election. nationalpost.com: Since the start of the election campaign, the Liberals and Conservatives have virtually been tied at the polls, with each party forecast to get slightly under 35 per cent of seats. So with just a week to go before Canadians cast their ballots, the prospect of a minority government appears to be more than likely. Read more

Party leaders debate climate, deficits, Indigenous services, assisted dying, SNC-Lavalin. cbc.ca: The French-language debate was the last gathering of all 6 leaders. Read more

The Final Leaders’ Debate Of The 2019 Election Had Its Share Of Notable Moments. huffingtonpost.ca: The format allowed more pointed questions to be asked and had fewer leaders speaking over each other — and, as such, viewers learned more about the party’s positions. Read more

Parties overlap in pocketbook appeals to voters. thestar.com: So what might the first legislative session of the next government look like? With polls suggesting the most likely scenario is a majority Liberal or Conservative government, or a minority government, the Star, in a five-part series, does some crystal-ball-gazing to give you an idea. Today, we look at affordability issues. Read more

Who is in Canada’s middle class, and why some experts hate the term. globalnews.com: The parties are also targeting voters with a slew of promises directed at helping the so-called middle class on everything from income tax cuts to free tuition to national pharmacare. … So who, exactly, is in the middle class, and how much do you have to be earning to join this elusive group? Read more

 

Canadian Dentistry News

Internationally Trained Dentists (ITD) Program. schulich.uwo.ca: Application to the Internationally Trained Dentists (ITD) Program is now OPEN. Applications will be accepted from September 23 – November 17, 2019. Read more

Canada’s Dental Hygienists Elect New President. cdha.ca: The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) is pleased to announce the installation of its new president, Leanne Huvenaars, at its recent national conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Read more

‘Definite uptick’: Global wave of ransomware attacks hitting Canadian organizations. cbc.ca: Toronto dental clinic targeted last week, with hacker telling CBC he wants a $165,000 ransom. Read more

Reports of health-care privacy breaches spike in Alberta. cbc.ca/news: Reports about privacy breaches in the health sector have ballooned in Alberta since new provincial regulations requiring mandatory reporting were put in place… The commissioner is investigating 20 incidents and has flagged 70 more as potential offences. Read more

Regina girl, 5, survived ‘1-in-4 million’ dental surgery mistake, expert says. cbc.c: A dental anesthesiologist at the University of Toronto who has studied the safety of sedation in dental clinics says mistakes such as the one that put a five-year-old Regina girl temporarily on life support are extremely rare. Read more

 

International Dentistry News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs Direct-to-Consumer Ortho Patient Protections. prweb.com: CDA’s 27,000 member dentists applaud the governor’s commitment to protecting patients from do-it-yourself orthodontic companies that put profits before patients by taking potentially unsafe shortcuts to the accepted standards for care. Read more

Smile Direct Club Statement on California Assembly Bill 1519. PR Newswire: To be clear, SmileDirectClub will continue to legally operate in California, we will be an active participant in the administration-directed public debates surrounding teledentistry, and we will continue to provide affordable orthodontic care to thousands of smiling Californians. Read more

Dentistry Needs Radical Reforms to Tackle Global Oral Disease Epidemic. pewtrusts.org: Researchers call for team-based approaches—including use of dental therapists—to expand access to care. The practice of dentistry needs radical reform worldwide to better serve more people and less affluent communities, according to a two-part series of reports in The Lancet, a leading international medical journal. Read more

ADA offers solutions on improving oral health for rural populations. ada.org: “With an updated, technology-driven approach, we can better allocate resources to enact responsive policy that meets the unique needs of each community,” wrote the ADA, noting that HPI conducted a two-year research initiative to examine a more responsive approach to determining dental access shortage areas. Read more

Predoctoral programs now required to educate students on managing patients with disabilities. ada.org: Beginning in 2020, the Commission on Dental Accreditation will require all U.S. predoctoral dental education programs to educate students on managing patients with intellectual and physical disabilities. Read more

ADA president: We have and will continue to educate dental community on opioids. ada.org: On the heels of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service releasing new guidance on opioids, the ADA wants members to know the Association continues to combat the opioid epidemic by educating dentists on the best ways to help patients manage dental pain. Read more

ADA sets record straight on status of petition to FDA regarding SmileDirectClub. ada.org: The ADA’s pending citizen petition submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about SmileDirectClub’s marketing and direct-to-consumer sales of plastic teeth aligners is still active, despite inaccurate public statements from the company stating otherwise. Read more

ADA supports legislation regulating vaping devices. ada.org: The ADA reiterated its support for legislation aimed at regulating vaping devices and liquids in the same manner the Food and Drug Administration regulates cigarettes and other tobacco products. Read more

Severe dental diseases persist in S.D. due to chronic poverty and lack of access to dentists. argusleader.com: A lack of access to proper dental care in South Dakota is driven both by geography and income. With a relatively small population spread out across a large area, many South Dakota residents do not have ready access to a dentist. Meanwhile, a high level of poverty in rural, urban and reservation communities also inhibits the ability of both adults and children to obtain proper dental care. Read more

House lawmakers press the vaping industry with two hearings Wednesday. cnbc.com: House lawmakers are upping the pressure on the e-cigarette industry with two hearings looking to rein in vaping and assess its risk as an emerging public health threat. Read more

What Are Dental Therapists? pewtrusts.com: FAQs about practitioners who provide routine care in a growing number of states. Read more

Bengaluru: Drone replaces health workers at oral cancer screening camp. timesofindia.indiatimes.com: In a recent trial at a city college, a custom made drone donned the role of health workers by ferrying a pouch containing small instruments to conduct oral screening of construction labourers on the campus. No Asha (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker or doctor was present at the oral cancer screening camp. The instruments in the drone’s pouch included a foldscope, slides and brush biopsy equipment. Besides the drone, only a trained volunteer was involved in the screening. Read more

Swift Health Systems Raises $45 Million In Series C Funding. oralhealthgroup.com: Series C funds will be directed at broadening commercial availability of the innovative INBRACE solution through expanded orthodontist onboarding and training, increased sales and marketing resources and consumer demand generation programs in support of existing and new INBRACE providers. Read more

Arkansas Children’s Announces New $1.25 Million Gift to Support Campaign for a Healthier Tomorrow. archildrens.org: Arkansas Children’s continues its statewide public launch of the Campaign for a Healthier Tomorrow, a bold $250 million campaign designed to support the promise of unprecedented child health. Defined and delivered. The Yates and Hubbard family announced a historic gift of $1.25 million to Arkansas Children’s Dental Sealant program, the family’s largest gift to date. Read more

Bahamas Dental Association, International Medical Relief recruiting volunteers for Hurricane Dorian missions. ada.org: Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas on Sept. 1 and was the most intense tropical cyclone to strike the Bahamas in the nation’s history. To assist the victims of the devastation, the Bahamas Dental Association and International Medical Relief are planning outreach missions to ensure that the survivors’ medical and dental needs are addressed. Read more

 

Clinical & Scientific News

The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine becomes first U.S. dental school to acquire, implement robotic-assisted surgery. bu.edu: Boston University’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) announced today that it has become the first U.S. dental school to acquire, install, and use two surgical robotic devices for dental implant surgeries. Read more

Diabetes medication has potential to prevent ovarian cancer: Canadian study. ctvnews.ca: The study, published Wednesday in the medical journal Clinical Cancer Research, says the drug metformin may be able to halt and possibly reverse scarring of the ovaries that occurs with age. Read more

 

Your Health & Medical News

Some EpiPen and EpiPen Jr auto-injectors may be difficult to remove from their carrier tubes. healthycanadians.gc.ca: Pfizer Canada has advised Health Canada that, in a very small number of cases, some EpiPen (0.3 mg) and EpiPen Jr (0.15 mg) auto-injector devices may not slide out of their carrier tube easily, or at all. Although the chance of this occurring is very rare, failure to administer epinephrine as soon as possible during an anaphylactic response could lead to patient disability or death. Read more

As cannabis vaping set to become legal, public health experts urge strict control. cbc.ca: Some Canadian doctors and public health experts say Canada should hit pause on this week’s legalization of cannabis oils given the nearly 1,300 cases of vaping-related lung injury in the U.S. of unknown cause. Read more

Canada needs an Alcohol Act to address the damage caused by this deadly carcinogen. theconversation.com: We have strong legislation and regulation governing tobacco and cannabis sales, marketing and labelling, but the federal government has been asleep at the wheel for years on alcohol policy. Read more

Alcohol may take the edge off, but giving it up is better for you: study. globalnews.ca: Some of us turn to alcohol to relax or take the edge off, but research suggests giving it up altogether may be better for our mental health. The study, published in July in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), found that women who gave up drinking alcohol reported better mental well-being overall. Read more

Income-related disparities in private prescription drug coverage in Canada. cmajopen.ca: Canada does not have universal public coverage for prescription drugs, which leaves an important role for private insurance plans. However, we do not have recent data on the characteristics of Canadians who report holding such coverage, particularly differences based on household income. We performed a study to examine the relation between household income and private drug insurance coverage in Canada. Read more

Prescribed version of heartburn drug Zantac recalled worldwide as a ‘precaution’. cbc.ca: Canadian consumers who grab Zantac and other medications containing ranitidine off the pharmacy shelf can continue to do so despite a global recall of the prescribed version. In Canada, Sanofi is the only manufacturer of branded Zantac, and it’s only available over-the-counter, the company said. Since prescription Zantac is not sold in this country, Tuesday’s global recall by GlaxoSmithKline of prescription-only Zantac products does not apply in Canada. Read more

Often-abused codeine cough syrups to become restricted drugs. vancouversun.com: New rules will restrict access to some codeine-based cough syrups because their narcotic ingredient makes them addictive and subject to robberies and abuse. Read more

Non-Indigenous Canadians show less support for policies that improve the lives of Indigenous Peoples, survey shows. theglobeandmail.com: Although a majority of Canadians expressed some support for policies aimed at improving the lives of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, the gap in support between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people remains stark. Read more

First Nations-owned water authority pitched to fix chronic drinking water issue. cbc.ca: Two Indigenous groups in the Atlantic region, the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik, are pitching a First Nations owned water authority to the federal government and First Nations. Read more and listen 8:00

Canadian health professionals discriminate against obese people: survey. countyweeklynews.ca: Most health-care providers in Canada demonstrate “high levels of weight bias” against people suffering from obesity, adding to the stigmatization surrounding the chronic disease, a new survey suggests. Read more

Alberta joining class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, distributors. ctvnews.ca: The Alberta government is joining a class-action lawsuit to recoup health-care costs related to the opioid crisis. Read more

The Canadian Vaping Association calls on Quebec to review its tobacco and smoking legislation in the interest of youth safety. newswire.ca: The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) is sharing its concern around the increase in youth uptake of vaping in Quebec, that is a result of the entrance of the vape product branches of big tobacco companies into non-age restricted retail locations, including gas stations and convenience stores. Read more

N.S. health minister promises action on vaping, but offers no timelines. cbc.ca: The province’s health minister is promising changes to the way vaping is regulated in Nova Scotia, but those changes appear unlikely to come in the form of a bill proposed by the Official Opposition. Read more

Nova Scotia politicians cool to idea of being lobbied by vape industry. cbc.ca: … The Official Opposition Progressive Conservatives tabled a bill during this session that would ban flavoured vape products and introduce restrictions on where vape products can be sold and who can possess them. Read more

Is vaping safer than smoking? Depends who you ask, and what scientific study they point to. usatoday.com: In the past few months, vaping has turned into something critics say is little – or even no better – than smoking. The claim is central to the future of electronic cigarettes. Within weeks, the Food and Drug Administration is likely to finalize its ban on flavored e-cigarettes.  About a month after that, vaping companies will have to remove flavored e-cigarettes from stores until they receive FDA approval to reenter the market. Read more

Why Are Healthy People Dying From Vaping? livescience.com: The mysterious vaping outbreak in the U.S. has led to nearly 1,300 lung injuries and 26 deaths as of last week, including deaths among young, seemingly healthy people. But what makes these illnesses so serious, and even deadly? Read more

Judge temporarily halts flavored vape ban in Michigan, cites harm to businesses. usatoday.com: The Michigan Court of Claims issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday, stopping the state’s ban on flavored vapes, which began Oct. 2. The harm done to vape businesses, which would have to shut down because of the ban, outweighs the interest of the state in stopping youths from using the products, Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Diane Stephens said in her ruling. Read more

The Hazy Future of Vaping. flatheadbeacon.com: Montana is banning flavored vaping products in response to an outbreak of illnesses nationwide, a move cheered by health professionals, but ex-smokers and local business owners say the ban is misguided and will drive people back to cigarettes. Read more

Bots behind most vaping marketing on social media, study finds. cbsnews.com: Automated social media accounts known as “bots” are behind a majority of marketing messages about vaping and e-cigarettes — many of which inaccurately promote the devices as healthier alternatives to traditional cigarettes, a new study has found. Read more

Opinion: Don’t Get Vaporized: A Regulatory Lesson From The Vaping Ban. forbes.com: Increased regulatory oversight of the booming e-cigarette industry should have been visible through the e-mist. Any business involved in the manufacture and sale of these products could have predicted it and used that knowledge to come up with a plan to address it. For the big players, that could mean regulatory engagement, marketing shifts or product changes, all of which we are seeing now. Read more

Blue light isn’t the main source of eye fatigue and sleep loss – it’s your computer. theconversation.com: Laboratory studies have shown that prolonged exposure to high-intensity blue light damages retinal cells in mice. But, epidemiological studies on real people tell a different story. Read more

Prescribed version of heartburn drug Zantac recalled worldwide as a ‘precaution’. cbc.ca: Canadian consumers who grab Zantac and other medications containing ranitidine off the pharmacy shelf can continue to do so despite a global recall of the prescribed version. In Canada, Sanofi is the only manufacturer of branded Zantac, and it’s only available over-the-counter, the company said. Since prescription Zantac is not sold in this country, Tuesday’s global recall by GlaxoSmithKline of prescription-only Zantac products does not apply in Canada. Read more

Often-abused codeine cough syrups to become restricted drugs. vancouversun.com: New rules will restrict access to some codeine-based cough syrups because their narcotic ingredient makes them addictive and subject to robberies and abuse. Read more

 

Mind Your Business

How to Make Difficult Employee Conversations Easier. cdspi.com: No matter how capable and dedicated your employees are, there are times when you need to manage a situation with an individual on your team. It’s not easy, but here is some advice from Shepell to help you have a more productive conversation. Read more

 

 

Continuing Education Matters

Dalhousie University – Current course offerings

McGill University – Continuing dental education

Université Laval – Formation continue

University of Manitoba – Continuing professional development

Université de Montréal – Formation dentaire continue

University of Alberta – Program and courses

University of British Columbia – Calendar of courses

University of Saskatchewan – Continuing professional dental education

University of Toronto – Continuing dental education

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry University – Continuing professional development

 

2019

November 8: Toronto Academy of Dentistry 82nd Winter Clinic. Save the date

November 29– December 4: Greater NY Dental Meeting, in New York, New York. Read more

 

2020

January 30–February 1: Yankee Dental Congress – Advancing the Vision 2020, in Boston, Massachusetts. Read more

February 20–22: Chicago Dental Society 155th Midwinter Meeting – Kaleidoscope View 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. Read more

March 5–7: Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver, BC. Mark your calendars

March 19–20: Academy of Osseointegration 2020 Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. Read more

March 19-21: The Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting in Atlanta, GA. Read more

April 2–4: Manitoba Dental Association presents the 2020 MDA/CDA Convention – Seeing Dentistry Clearly, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Save the date

September 1–4: FDI World Dental Congress in Shanghai, China. Read more

October 1–3: Canadian Academy of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics 28th Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto, Ontario. Read more

October 4: North West Dental Exposition in Edmonton, Alberta. Read more

 

Please let us know about upcoming continuing education meetings that could be of interest to Canadian dentists by emailing us at oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca

 

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We invite you to send us leads to news stories worth sharing (oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca) or 1-855-716-2747.

 

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