CDA Essentials 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 3

9 Issue 3 | 2019 | CDA at W ork I ’ m excited to be starting my term as CDA president at time when CDA is looking to the future and examining how our profession is evolving. After spending most of my career as an associate, I’m now a solo practitioner. When I started out in dentistry in the early 80s, my colleagues and I typically had two practice model options: become an associate or buy a practice. But now, the traditional practice models of dentist-owned solo or small group practices are no longer the default career choices and dental students and new graduates, like my two sons, have far more options to consider before deciding on a career path. Numbers tell us that the percentage of dentists like me who own a practice has been decreasing, while there has been an increase in the number of larger group practices, including corporate-owned practices or DSOs (dental service organizations) that handle the business and administrative aspects of running a practice. In the U.S., corporate interests own 30–40% of all dental offices and although the number in Canada is relatively small, it’s on the rise. Other emerging models of care include interprofessional collaborative practice models, like community health clinics, as well as mobile dental clinics and teledentistry, which enable dentists to reach people where they live, outside the confines of a bricks-and- mortar dental office. In this changing environment, new dentists can make career decisions motivated by not only their individual goals and aspirations, but also their personal preferences in scheduling, work-life balance, income and other factors. I chose my practice model because I liked working independently and having flexibility in my schedule. And when I was an associate, I enjoyed the freedom of not having the additional responsibilities that come with ownership. But we’re all motivated by our own goals and that’s why understanding the pros and cons of different practice settings is a crucial part of career planning. In its 2018 report, CDA’s National Advisory Task Force on the Future of the Profession recommended that the Canadian dental profession, “ensure that graduates are aware of the full range of career options available to them, including alternative practice models.” This recommendation was connected to one of the task force’s vision statements: “By 2032, Canadian dentists will be ready to embrace new technologies and models of practice.” CDA is currently developing a project that will help support students and early-career dentists in learning more about their career options. This project will provide information, advice from mentors, and other resources for dentists who are starting their careers or considering a career transition. Look for more on this initiative later this year. By delivering care in new ways, emerging practice models aim to address some of the challenges with our current system of delivering oral health care. Collectively, they have the potential to improve access to care, create efficiencies in the way care is delivered, and better integrate oral health with general health care services. I hope that the careers that lie ahead for my sons are as rewarding as mine has been. The advice I give them is straightforward: always look after your patient’s best interests—because whatever practice model they choose, person-centred care needs to remain the ultimate goal. From the President Alexander (Sandy)Mutchmor, dmd president@cda-adc.ca Changing Practice Environments and CareerOptions