Dr. Joel Antel president@cda-adc.ca Progress, Unity and Growth As I come to the end of my tenure as CDA president, I reflect not just on what we’ve accomplished in the last year, but rather what I’ve seen our association achieve and how we’ve changed for the better over the last 8 years. Since 2017, when I first became a member of the CDA board of directors, the lives of Canadian dentists have been transformed in significant ways and the organization has evolved to better serve their needs. The COVID-19 pandemic and new federal funding for oral health care has profoundly impacted us all. At CDA, we took this opportunity to review our governance model and created a new strategic plan to guide our future. All of these factors have brought the needs of dentists to the heart of every decision that CDA makes. Not only is CDA the national voice for dentists, but we actively contribute to the ongoing success of Canadian dentists and help to foster a strong, united profession. I’ve been very happy that CDA and the provincial and territorial dental associations have been able to work together so well and with such a spirit of cooperation. The considerable challenges of the last few years have worked to strengthen our relationships and our shared vision for the future. When I was serving as president of the Manitoba Dental Association in 2011, I didn’t know many of the other association presidents by name. Now, we all interact on a regular basis and collaborate on projects to accomplish more than any of us could on our own. Of course, we don’t always agree on everything, but sharing our diverse points of view spurs us to find creative—and frankly better—ideas and solutions. Our governance review and strategic plan helped bring new groups to the table, including dental specialties, educators and researchers, into CDA decision‑making processes. We’ve been building relationships throughout the wider oral health community in Canada. At present, we are thinking strategically about what our role should be in the international oral health community, both what relationships could benefit Canadian dentistry and how Canada contributes to oral health globally. As an association, we try not to do things a certain way simply because we’ve always done it that way. Instead, we’re exploring how to be most effective and how to do things right. Our culture is one of continuous improvement and I hope that I’ve contributed to this culture during my time serving on the board. I’m very grateful to my fellow board members and to CDA staff who have made my work as president not only possible, but a pleasure. You’d be hard pressed to find people as competent and hard-working as my fellow board members and the CDA staff. Responding to the implementation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan occupied a very big part of my year and I continued the efforts of my predecessors, Drs. Lynn Tomkins and Heather Carr. I spoke with the media a great deal more than I expected to and gained a greater sense of comfort in sometimeschallenging interviews. When I first got involved in organized dentistry in the early 1990s, I may have been a bit more confrontational in my approach. But the last 30 years of service have taught me about the benefits of trying to be more patient and building consensus. Organized dentistry has helped me evolve from my early bluntness to someone who listens and works hard to find common ground with my peers and colleagues. I’m grateful for the community that we share in this great profession and how you, dentists across the nation, have enriched my life. From the President 7 Issue 2 | 2025 | CDA at Work
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