Cpd Among Dental Professionals Booming In Wake Of Initiative Amendment

By Author: Karen McDonagh
Total Articles: 75
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For your everyday person, their interaction with dental hygienists has been almost exclusively within the realm of teeth scaling and root planning – cleaning. Until relatively recently, a dental hygienist could only perform teeth cleanings and their other tasks in due course to a dentist’s order. Practically speaking this meant that dental hygienists worked exclusively within a dental office under the employment of a dentist, who would provide “orders” to the professional in order to assist with check-ups, cleanings and other procedures. The role of a dental hygienist however, is changing.

In 2007, the dental hygiene act of 1991 was amended to allow dental hygienists to perform cleanings of their own volition and initiative. According to the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario the purpose of the change was to promote “the public interest principles of access, equality, accountability and quality of care without placing the public at an increased risk of harm.” So hence forth, cleanings can be sought out by a professional without the purview of a dentist. The practice has become known as “self ...
... initiation.”

Self initiation is becoming more and more prevalent with every passing day. In January of 2008, approximately ten percent of all registered dental hygienists in Ontario had been authorized by the College to self-initiate. By January of 2012, this figure had tripled to approximately thirty percent. During that same time period, the number of registered dental hygienists in Ontario grew by approximately thirty-one percent, while the number of registered dental hygienists who had obtained authorization to self-initiate grew by two hundred and sixty three percent.

Once authorized, a dental hygienist can open his/her own clinic, where he/she can see patients for the sole purpose of performing teeth cleanings – without the presence or involvement of a dentist. This is appealing to many dental hygienists, as they can benefit from the perks of working for oneself, which include the potential for significant financial gain. At the same time, independent dental hygiene clinics may appeal to many patients. These clinics may be more accessible, either location-wise or in terms of their hours of operation.

The appeal of self initialized dental health practice has created an immense market for Dental CPD among oral health professionals who otherwise would be at the mercy of working within a dental office at all times. As the field grows with dental health becoming an issue not just for high and middle class families, but among low income families and in the third world, Dental CPD and self initialized healthcare is becoming a huge employment opportunity for dental professionals and newcomers to the field alike. As the practice grows in popularity, so it grows in global recognition as a boon for health and job markets within the orthodontic industries.

Karen McDonagh is a proud contributing author and write articles on several subjects including Dental CPD. For more information please click and see CPD Among Dental Professionals.