CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 4

12 | 2018 | Issue 4 CDA at W ork Photographs: Teckles Photo Inc. Dr. Nicoll presented the key findings and recommendations of the Task Force to the dentistry leaders. “The annual CDA Environmental Scan has been very effective in identifying issues that impact the profession (the ‘what’), the implications of these issues (the ‘so what’) but how to take action on these issues has been somewhat lacking (the ‘now what?’),” he says. “We’ve been effective at recognizing the challenges, but we now need to move towards taking action on some of these issues,” notes Dr. Nicoll. A 25-member Task Force volunteered hundreds of hours towards the project. “The goal was to have the Task Force be representative of the profession, not just of organized dentistry,” says Dr. Nicoll. “We captured a broad range of perspectives, including those of recent graduates, experienced clinicians, and dentists from different geographic locations and types of practice.” In early 2017, the Task Force held its first face-to-face meeting. They received presentations from several health care experts, including André Picard, health reporter and columnist at The Globe and Mail, and Marko Vujicic, chief economist and vice-president at the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. After that meeting, the Task Force was divided into 4 Working Groups under broad themes: • Technology/complementors/ substitutes • Education/regulation/social contract • New practice models/vulnerable patients • Dental practice of the future Each Working Group produced its own report, based on its research and on interviews held with international subject experts on a wide variety of topics. “This final report is a compilation of the conclusions of these four Working Groups,” says Dr. Nicoll. “It explains the reasoning for each recommendation in a clear and cohesive manner.” The report’s 28 recommendations are presented within four overarching Vision Statements: 1. By 2032, oral health will be recognized as a valuable component of overall health. 2. By 2032, dentistry will fulfill its social contract through universal access to oral health care. 3. By 2032, Canadian dentists as lifelong learners will be well-prepared to meet the changing needs of society. 4. By 2032, Canadian dentists will be ready to embrace new technologies and models of practice. Representatives in attendance at the DLF in April were encouraged to discuss the report with their respective organizations and identify their own priorities and strategies for implementing the Task Force recommendations. These will be discussed at the 2018 CDA Convention, which is being hosted by the Dental Association of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown from August 22–25. a ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➊ Dr. LouAnn Visconti, Ontario Dental Association (ODA) president, shares her thoughts on the Future of the Profession report. ➋ The 25-member Task Force on the Future of the Profession at its initial meeting in January 2017. ➌ Dr. Carlos Quiñonez (l.), Task Force member with Dr. Paul Allison, dean of McGill University faculty of dentistry. ➍ Ms. Julie Delcorde, president of the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations and Mr. Frank Bevilacqua, ODA executive director and Task Force Steering Committee member. ➎ Dr. Alastair Nicoll, Chair of the Task Force, presented the report’s findings at the DLF meeting.