College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario

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College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario

The mission of the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario is to regulate the practice of dental hygiene in the interest of the overall health and safety of the public of Ontario.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CDHO

Overview of the History of Dental Hygiene in Canada
Ontario became the first province to legally recognize dental hygienists in Canada in 1947 when Royal Assent was given to an amendment to the Dentistry Act. Members of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) then set about drafting bylaws for the study and practice of dental hygiene. The bylaws came into effect on April 23, 1951. In the meantime, May Brett became the first dental hygienist to practice in Canada when she joined her brother's dental practice in Saskatchewan after having completed her dental hygiene program in the United States. On July 19, 1951 Dorothy Fee Martin (Moffatt) became the first registered dental hygienist in Ontario. In August 1953 the first class of dental hygienists (5) graduated from the University of Toronto and registered with the RCDSO. In total 777 students graduated from the University of Toronto with a diploma in dental hygiene when the last class graduated in 1977. Programs were then offered in the Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology and later in private career colleges. In September 1977 the University of Toronto began offering a degree completion program that was suspended in 2004. In 2006 there are over 8,000 dental hygienists practicing in Ontario and 17,000 in Canada.

As in Ontario, the various provincial dental boards were the first to regulate the practice of dental hygiene. Over the years it became evident that it is an inherent conflict of interest for the primary employer (i.e. dentistry) to also be the regulating group. In 1974 Quebec dental hygienists became the first to attain self-regulation. Over 95% of dental hygienists in Canada now reside in self-regulating jurisdictions: Alberta 1990, Ontario 1994, British Columbia 1995, Saskatchewan 1997 and Manitoba 2005. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have legislation pending.


History of the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario
Dental hygienists in Ontario requested voting representation on the RCDSO, however, the request was not honoured and the Ontario Dental Hygienists' Association (ODHA) lobbied for self-regulation. With the proclamation of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) on December 31, 1993 dental hygiene became a self-governing profession, separate and independent of dentistry. Initially, the drafters of the RHPA, 1991 determined that dental hygienists had the competence to "self-initiate" the controlled act of "scaling teeth and root planing, including curetting surrounding tissues". The Dental Hygiene Act (DHA) was drafted accordingly. In Committee, the Bill was amended to require dental hygienists to obtain an 'order' from a dentist before performing the authorized act due to the lobbying efforts of organized dentistry.

In November 1992, the twelve-member Transitional Council was brought together by the Ministry of Health. The Council consisted of six professional members representing various aspects of the dental hygiene profession and its academic community. The six public members were appointed from across the Province and represented a broad cross-section of the community. The first Chair and Vice Chair elected by the Transitional Council for the calendar year 1993 were Lynda McKeown Mickelson, professional member, and Don Peebles, public member. The work of setting up the Council's operations was carried out by all members functioning together through a structure of working groups. Initial tasks carried out in 1993 included:

development of core regulations such as entry and re-entry to practice requirements, fee structure, professional misconduct, formation of electoral districts and election procedures;
hiring of the Registrar and support staff;
choice of premises, including the decision to rent rather than purchase.
In anticipation of self-regulation, a levy had been placed on dental hygiene registrants of Ontario since 1988. As a result, the CDHO had sufficient funds and was able to conduct its business more independently of the Ministry of Health than were the transitional councils of the other newly self-regulating professions.

The RCDSO's assistance in administrating the dental hygiene finances and trust fund during the transitional phase was greatly appreciated as it relieved the Transitional Council of major administrative work. Because the Transitional Council did not have to report a government loan, many activities were initiated ahead of other transitional councils: such as, advertising and interviewing for senior staff, and interviewing and hiring legal counsel.

In the spirit of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) the Transitional Council's focus for writing regulations was, "How is dental hygiene going to be practiced competently, ethically and effectively in the public interest?" Consultation began with the RCDSO with the expectation of developing compatible regulations where appropriate. The primary difference was with respect to the requirement for an "order" for the controlled act of "scaling and root planing teeth, including curetting of the surrounding tissues." The Transition Council determined that an amendment to the DHA, 1991 was required to create more accessible and affordable oral health care options for the people of Ontario as intended by the RHPA, 1991. [ Please see a Brief History of 'Order' ]

Until the Fall of 1993, the Transitional Council met monthly at the Journey's Hotel on Bloor Street until CDHO's permanent offices were rented and prepared for use. These were rented from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario at 69 Bloor Street East and officially opened on November 25, 1993.

The Director of Administrative Services, Margaret Stevenson, and the first Registrar/Chief Administrative Officer, Linda Strevens, were hired and assumed their positions in August 1993.

On December 31, 1993, the RHPA and the profession specific acts were proclaimed. The Transitional Council continued in operation for a second full year, through 1994, as permitted by the legislation. However, on proclamation, the statutory committee structure came into effect, and was implemented in January 1994. The members of the first Executive Committee elected by the Council for 1994 were: President Lynda McKeown Mickelson, Vice President Don Page, Dale Scanlan, Evie Jesin, and Maria Lee.

This Executive oversaw the continued development of the regulations and the bylaws, while the other statutory committees began to assume their responsibilities. Among these, the development of registration procedures and a long term quality assurance program were the most urgent. In January, 1994, Evelyn Gavin (Waters) joined the staff and assumed the position of Acting Registrar when Linda Strevens' contract came to an end in April 1994. E. Gavin continued as Acting Registrar until the new Registrar, Fran Richardson, was hired in January 1995.

The CDHO held its first profession-wide election in December 1994, and as a result, on January 1, 1995 grew into its full statutory format of 19 members - eight public and eleven professional.

Registrar
Fran Richardson
Ext.229 - frichardson@cdho.org
Toll Free: 1-800-268-2346
Toronto: 416-961-6234
fax: 416-961-6028