In August 2022, Dr. Lee Darichuk was the first registered dentist in Canada to administer the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in a dental practice. “Many of us in dentistry have already been working on how we can better help Canadians prevent HPV-related head and neck cancers,” says Dr. Darichuk. “I also need to give credit to Dr. Cheryl Cable for bringing this all together.” HPVVaccinations at the Dental Office Dr. Lee Darichuk is president of the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta and a member of the Alberta Head and Neck Cancer Dental Leadership Team. First, the Alberta Head and Neck Cancer Dental Leadership Team gave lectures at events to members of the dental team about HPV symptoms, risks and prevention. Then, they encouraged their fellow dentists to prescribe the vaccine. “During the pandemic, when dentists in some jurisdictions in Canada became part of the COVID-19 vaccination effort, we were fortunate that, in Alberta, legislation authorized dentists to prescribe and administer vaccines,” Dr. Darichuk says. After the experience of providing COVID vaccines, the group researched the logistics of expanding to provide HPV vaccines in the dental setting. “We signed up for an account with a distributor, did some basic training, and made sure we had the After the experience of providing COVID vaccines, the group researched the logistics of expanding to provide HPV vaccines in the dental setting. 37 Issue 3 | 2023 |
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