A new organization representing Canadian Filipino dental hygienists launched on February 10 this year.
The Filipino-Canadian Dental Hygienists’ Society describes itself as a group dedicated to “continuing education opportunities” for its members.
The Scarborough, Ontario-based organization is also committed to “provide peer support to help improve” the profession among “members in the Filipino community”.
The Filipino-Canadian Dental Hygienists’ Society aims to keep its members “competitive through continuing education, peer mentorship and interprofessional collaborations”.
The association offers seminars and workshops, and these are listed on its website,
https://filcanrdhsoc.wixsite.com/mysite.
According to the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association, dental hygienists form the sixth-largest regulated health profession in the country.
The association counts 29,549 practitioners across Canada.
The national association explains that dental hygienists are “primary oral health care professionals who recommend and provide preventive and therapeutic clinical care, education, and health promotion to help improve the oral health of Canadians”.
Dental hygienists “collaborate with other health professionals, including dentists, denturists, physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors and massage therapists”.
They practice in a “variety of settings, including private practice, public health units, hospitals and long-term care facilities, educational institutions, dental industry, and even in the client’s home using mobile equipment”.
Dental hygienists are educated at four universities and thirty-three colleges in Canada.