President’s Spring 2022 Message

 Can you hear the drumbeat of change? 

I took the liberty of paraphrasing the first statement from Dr. John O’Keefe’s video, Oral Healthcare - An Emerging Discussion, to make the point that something has to change how all of us, in every walk of life, look at oral health care for people in Canada who are living with disabilities.  Dr. O’Keefe’s video points to many signs and indicators (on a global basis) that a major shift in oral health care for people with disabilities is on the horizon.   

Close to home, two major developments occurred in March that stand out as positive steps towards achieving systemic change: 

The first is the federal budget which includes funding for dental care for people with low incomes and disabilities. This is a significant step forward in our efforts to achieve total access to the same quality of oral health care for people with disabilities or low income that the rest of us enjoy. 

The program is not without its limitations.   Simply throwing money at a problem does not solve it.   The program requires significant input from people “with boots on the ground”, (clinicians, caregivers and patients) with the knowledge and experience to make sure that the program is structured to maximize the effect of the care offered and that the funds are appropriately distributed to ensure that care is provided to those who really need it. The CSDH is prepared to participate in this process. 

The second is a recent meeting in the United States of the American Dental Education Association hosted by Dr. Mark Wolf, Dean of Dental Medicine at Penn State University, “where the reluctance of some dental schools to abide by the recent change in the Council on Dental Accreditation’s requirements concerning patients with disabilities [was] addressed.” 

How do these two developments impact CSDH, or better yet, how does CSDH plan to impact these two developments? 

In response to the federal budget announcement, the CSDH is working on a multi-letter campaign outlining how we believe the program can best meet the needs of people living with disabilities.  We will send the letters to the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health, Finance and Education, along with copies to our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.  

The lack of appropriate education in Canada is being recognized as one of the systemic barriers to access to care.  Representatives from the CSDH have been invited to participate in the up-coming meeting of the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD).  We have been requested to provide a report at the AGM and to participate in their strategic planning meeting. 

Representatives from the CSDH have also been invited as leaders of change to participate in the 2022 One Voice Conference of the American Academy for Developmental Medicine and Dentistry in June.  Through four conference tracks, one of which is Health Equity (including oral health), participants will explore how to best serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

These invitations are significant indicators that our on-going relationships are starting to have an impact.  The CSDH is recognized as a body with expertise, knowledge, a point of view, and a voice that advocates for people with disabilities and we’ve been offered a seat at the table of these ground-breaking discussions.  We are making a difference. 

In conclusion, I would ask all of our members to look inside yourself.   Could you see increasing your participation in the functioning of our society by joining a committee, or, as a Director on the Board to help us drive change and fulfill our Vison and Mission.  Your involvement will offer back immeasurable personal and professional rewards. 

To hear Dr. O’Keefe’s full message, click here for the short video.   

An Emerging Conversation about System Change in Oral Health Care - YouTube