Hi everyone!
We recently wrapped up the spring cycle of the new Path 4 – Peer Circles. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the 248 RDHs who participated in the spring sessions. We could not have launched this new initiative without your commitment and willingness to embrace a different approach to QA. I’d also like to extend a big thanks to our facilitators and staff in the QA Department for their efforts to deliver these sessions. It’s a huge undertaking that proceeded very smoothly! If you participated in the spring cycle, you should have received a feedback survey. Please consider completing it so we can continue improving Peer Circles for future participants.
I would like to extend a very warm welcome to the new Directors who have joined CDHO’s team: Anita Arzoomanian, Director of Professional Practice and Paula Benbow, Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives.
Preparations are underway for the 2026 QA Assessment selection. We are planning to ask for volunteers again, while also randomly selecting RDHs. We’ll have space for about 300 volunteers, and for the random selection, we’ll be focusing on RDHs who have never been selected or undergone assessment in the past, especially those who have graduated and have been practising for more than 10 years. Stay tuned for more information!
I’m pleased to announce that we recently released a geospatial analysis of the Dental Hygiene workforce in Ontario. We partnered with the Accessing Centre for Expertise to conduct this analysis to better understand workforce distribution, which is critical to ensuring equitable access to oral health care across all communities. Among the findings: there are 97 RDHs per 100,000 people in the province—the highest rate in Canada. We are sharing this data with government and professional partners to support informed workforce planning and policy decisions. Read the full analysis.
Wishing you all a wonderful start to summer! As always, my sincere thanks to you for your contributions to the oral and overall health of the people of Ontario!
Dr. Glenn Pettifer
Registrar/CEO