Hello everyone! Happy fall! 

We’ve been thrilled by the continued engagement with the optional Peer Circles. As of writing, we’ve visited Sault Ste. Marie, Peterborough and St. Catharines, and have conducted four Peer Circles online. Thank you to everyone for coming out! Peer Circles offer a valuable opportunity for learning, connecting and growing professionally. If you haven’t had a chance to experience one yet, spots are still available in other cities and online, and I encourage you to see what this is all about! Register for an optional Peer Circle.

Fall is back-to-school time and is associated with the theme of education. With that said, I’d like to provide a gentle reminder around continuing professional development. Even though we paused the Quality Assurance selection process as we developed the new Path 4, there is still the ongoing expectation that all RDHs engage in continuing professional development activities. Professional development can take many forms – courses or workshops offered by professional associations or post-secondary institutions; learning modules provided by CDHO (e.g., The Path, the consent module); home study courses; self-study using current Dental Hygiene and/or medical peer-reviewed materials – to name a few. Staying current and expanding your knowledge helps equip you to better serve your clients and supports public confidence in the quality of oral health care that they receive from RDHs.

I continue to be honoured and excited to work with RDHs, and the amazing CDHO staff, Council and Committees as we advance our work in regulating the Dental Hygiene profession in the public interest. The participation of RDHs in the administration and success of the CDCP is evidence of the profession’s commitment to access to oral health care. At CDHO, we continue to look for ways that we can support and increase access to comprehensive oral health care through our regulatory mandate.   

Thanks to all RDHs for your continued support of our various initiatives and for your dedication to providing exceptional oral health care to the people of Ontario! As always, please get in touch with us if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Dr. Glenn Pettifer
Registrar/CEO