missing. When it comes to access to care, we are often talking about populations that have data gaps. Populations that are excluded from surveys. We need to know what we don’t know. Also, how do we make sure that we’re asking the right questions? We want our questions to guide our research, not the available data.” “The inaugural summit was a landmark event for oral health in Canada,” says Dr. Ben Davis, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University. “We were proud that the federal Minister of Health was there to deliver the keynote address, and that representatives from the WHO, The Lancet, ADEA, and over 350 academics, researchers, and students were in attendance.” He says that the event was a resounding success and there is great commitment and momentum for future summits. “The summit was action-packed, with Minister Holland presenting the CDCP, Health Canada running symposia on it, the formal launch of the NOHRS, a representative from the WHO presenting their action plan and its implications for Canada. There were also many students presenting their applied research and public health dentists and academics sharing their ideas,” says Dr. Allison. He says that from the perspective of the organizing committee, the inaugural summit was a great success and a post-summit survey demonstrated great enthusiasm for it among attendees. The committee is already planning the next summit, likely for June 2026. Dr. Benoit Soucy (l.), CDA’s chief knowledge officer, presented at a symposium about navigating the future of the oral health workforce. The Canadian National Oral Health Research Strategy (NOHRS) The strategy was created by and for people with an interest in oral health care and research. By 2025, it will have been broadly disseminated and the group working on it will have engaged the research, health care and other communities, and formed NOHRS implementation working groups to achieve the milestones in the report. NOHRS is a collaboration between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, Canadian Association for Dental Research, Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry, Network for Canadian Oral Health Research, Canadian Dental Association, Denturist Association of Canada, Canadian Dental Therapists Association, and Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. Access the full document at: cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/52773.html 22 | 2024 | Issue 5 News and Events
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTE5MTI=