President’s message

President’s Message – Fall 2020

It is hard to believe that the end of this very “unique” year is almost upon us.

With this Fall 2020 President’s message, I would like to complete two essential tasks.

The first, is a general update on the activity the CSDH has been involved with in the past 10 months.

I am absolutely delighted to report that our membership numbers have increased significantly in the past 10 months. 

As you are aware, we have two types of members. The current distribution is  69   members,  who have paid  the $60.00 annual dues and can automatically be eligible for membership in The international Association for Disability and Oral Health  (iADH.org) and 185  student members, who pay no dues as long as they are enrolled in a recognized educational programme. It is our hope that these equally important student members will continue to support the CSDH once they have graduated. 

We need to not only maintain but also encourage both types of members, since, as you can well imagine and understand, the memberships fees we receive are essential  to keep carrying on the work of the CSDH. We are all volunteers, and the dues received, go directly, totally, and only into the daily operating costs of the CSDH.

In that regard, before I go any further, on a personal note,  and  on behalf of the entire CSDH Board of Directors,  I want to express my most sincere appreciation to each and every one of you for your  continued support. 

At the time of this writing we had a remarkable 407 followers on our Facebook page from all over the world.

Members of the Board of Directors  have been incredibly  busy with administrative issues, including: working on our Strategic Plan, updating our Bylaws and Policies and developing the criteria and scope of committees essential to the ongoing functioning of our society.

Our current list of committees includes:

Education and Scientific Presentations

Special Olympics 

Strategic Planning

Student Representation

By-laws and Policy  

Our affiliation with Special Olympics Canada is moving forward and plans for short- and long-term activities are underway.

Production of webinars and video forums have continued non-stop during these difficult times. In this regard I want to offer our sincere appreciation to Dr. John O’Keefe, from the CDA, for his production skills and on-going support.

We are continuing to work with the CDA to increase access to care through two specific programs – Case Complexity and Transitioning and  look forward to seeing these programs  put in place by the CDA and available to all oral health care professionals. 

Dr. Jonathan Lai of The Canadian Autistic Spectrum Disorder Alliance has been instrumental with setting up Virtual Forums involving oral health issues faced by folks with Autism. 

You can check out many of our online information sessions at: csdh.ca, on fb at, Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health, and of course at CDA Oasis hosted by Dr. John O’Keefe.

We have also established a journal club at the Schulich School of Dentistry, which first met face to face. However due to the ongoing health risks of Covid-19, it now meets virtually via Zoom and has had an enthusiastic response. It is our hope to take this information sharing process across Canada.

Aligning with other advocacy organizations, connecting with educational facilities, connecting with student representatives, and of course reaching out to current and future members of the CSDH for their anticipated and continued support has kept our entire administrative team extremely busy. 

Virtual meetings have been held with the heads of four of the ten dental schools in Canada (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, McGill, and Dalhousie) so far. Further discussion relative to curriculum issues around oral health care for people with special needs is in the planning stages.

This brings me to my second task. One that relates to membership. 

No organization can exist without its most vital asset and that of course is its members.

In the coming weeks you will all be getting further notification about membership renewal (CSDH will not be increasing its dues for 2021). I hope you will all take the time to, not only consider but, continue to support the efforts of the CSDH and “spread the word”. A simple mention on your favourite social media platform or directing friends and colleagues to our web site and our other platforms, indicating the various member benefits, will go a long way to garnering future support. 

The Board now also feels we have come to a point where it is time to engage our members in a more hands on fashion, in the on-going activities of the CSDH.

Therefore, for those of you who are current CSDH members, I would invite you to seriously consider serving on one of the Committees of the CSDH. Along with continuing the incredible work each of them is doing, you would also be part of the ongoing creative design and development process of each of these valuable components of our Society.

We will be sending out a further call for member participation and input very soon and look forward to your involvement in our Society’s ongoing development and efforts.

Notification of our Annual General meeting, that will be taking place early in 2021, will be sent out soon. We hope that you will be able to participate in this first ever (but certainly not last) vital element of our society (virtually of course). 

In summary I would like to wish you all, good health, and once again offer my sincere thanks for your continued support. 

Be well and stay safe.

Olaf 

For more information about CSDH activities and membership application, please visit our web site at www.csdh.ca. It is up and running now to facilitate anyone wishing to join online.

Look us up on ;

facebook at Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health and give us a  like.

Twitter: @the_csdh

Instagram: @the_csdh

Or contact: Dr. Olaf Plotzke at president@csdh.ca 

Ms. Carol Yakiwchuk at  secretary@csdh.ca 

Dr. Timucin Ari at   treasurer@csdh.ca