Catching Up with the Oral Health Community in Canada: The Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD) We checked in with ACFD president Dr. Ben Davis to learn more about the work the association does. Dr. Ben Davis is a dentist and oral-maxillofacial surgeon who serves as dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University and president of the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry. What does ACFD do, in a nutshell? The Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD) is the national voice and resource for academic dentistry in Canada. It represents faculty members, both full- and part-time, from the country’s ten dental schools, a community of well over one thousand educators, researchers, and clinicians. ACFD’s role is to advance teaching, research, and service within dental education. The organization advocates on behalf of dental faculties at the national level, particularly with Health Canada, and also supports individual faculties in their conversations with provincial governments about funding and policy. Within ACFD, several standing committees, representing areas such as academic affairs, clinical affairs, research, and the deans of the faculties, create structured opportunities for collaboration. These committees meet regularly to share challenges, exchange ideas, and develop solutions to common issues in areas ranging from curriculum design to clinical operations and research initiatives. A recent example of ACFD’s collaborative approach comes from the University of Manitoba, which received funding through Health Canada’s Oral Health Access Fund to develop shared curriculum modules for all ten Canadian dental faculties. These modules cover essential topics such as ethics and professionalism, geriatric care, and emergency medicine—areas that every dental program must teach, but can be costly and time-consuming for each school to create independently. By developing these resources centrally and distributing them across the country, ACFD and its member schools are ensuring consistency in education, reducing duplication of effort, and making the most of limited budgets. It’s a model that illustrates the strength of a unified academic community working together toward common educational standards and improved oral health care outcomes. How does ACFD contribute to the dental profession and oral health in Canada? At its core, ACFD’s mission is to educate the next generation of oral health professionals. Most of the dentists practising in Canada today have graduated from Canadian dental schools, making ACFD’s member institutions the foundation of the nation’s dental workforce. As educators, our primary responsibility is to ensure that students graduate ready to serve the oral health needs of Canadians. Beyond education, the faculties are also home to the country’s highest concentration of dental expertise. Governments, dental associations and other organizations frequently turn to academic experts for evidence-based input on issues such as community water fluoridation, oral cancer, or access to care. In this way, the faculties—and by extension, ACFD— serve as a national resource for the profession and for policymakers. 12 | 2025 | Issue 6
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