Good afternoon.
I am Palmer Nelson, president-elect of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. This is my colleague, Judy Lux. She's the health policy communication specialist at CDHA.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to you today.
Dental hygienists are primary oral health care providers, guided by the principles of social justice, who specialize in services related to clinical therapy, oral health education, and health promotion.
The dental hygiene profession is comprised of 95% women and 5% men. Since the inception of the profession in 1947, dental hygienists have primarily been employed in dental offices. However, recent changes in provincial legislation have enabled the majority of dental hygienists in Canada to practise outside of the dental office.
Owning a business was once the domain of men. However, many women are now starting businesses, and dental hygienists are eager to take on this business opportunity.
Due to this new legislation, a growing number of dental hygienists are establishing private businesses. They are making an important contribution to improving access to care, increasing choices for the public, and improving the oral health of all Canadians. These dental hygiene businesswomen are collaborating with a wide range of health professionals, including nurse practitioners, physicians, denturists, dieticians, occupational therapists, and speech language therapists.
The importance of these interprofessional practices cannot be overemphasized given the link between oral health and overall health. Previously we thought that the most devastating effect of periodontal disease, which is what we call gum disease, was tooth loss. Now we are beginning to understand the link between oral diseases and other diseases. Untreated gum disease can have serious consequences. Research has shown a link between gum disease and respiratory disease, heart disease, and pre-term low-weight babies. These babies continue to experience health complications for the rest of their lives, compromising their quality of life and placing a drain on an already drained health care system.
In addition, the research shows that there is a two-way relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes is linked to gum disease and vice versa. If oral health is not well maintained, it complicates the lives of two million Canadians with diabetes.
This health issue has become a hot topic given the new health surveillance data indicating that the number of individuals with diabetes is rapidly growing. Because chronic diseases, dental decay, periodontal disease, and oral cancer are totally preventable, dental hygiene practitioners, working in their own businesses, can directly contribute to the health of Canadians.
Dental hygiene businesses are using new service delivery models that enable them to provide services where clients need them. Businesses are being established in multidisciplinary health clinics and in corporate office settings. Mobile businesses are bringing services to long-term and residential care facilities, remote communities, and housebound clients. Approximately 40% of the new dental hygiene businesses report a significant increase in their senior client population, a vulnerable and high-need population.
Dental hygienists are using their full scope of practice, which was not utilized in a dental office, where the service emphasis was on treatment and not prevention. The majority of these new dental hygiene businesses provide oral health education group sessions for the public as well as other health professionals. This prevention focus is in keeping with the goals established by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Minister of Health.
With adequate health human resource planning, dental hygiene businesses have significant potential to improve oral health outcomes for Canadians. Health human resource planning is a key priority for a number of health care stakeholder groups, including the federal, provincial, and territorial governments.
CDHA recommends two fundamental health human resource planning steps. The first step is to gather reliable data about dental hygiene businesses to accurately inform health human resources and business planning to optimize the existing and future workforce to meet the health care demands of Canadians. There is also a need to conduct a gap analysis of business skills and knowledge, since currently dental hygiene education does not include business development issues.
It can be argued that knowledge of workforce trends such as demographics, retirement patterns, and inflow and outflow of health care providers are important when determining the delivery models best suited to provide care to Canadians.
The second step is to develop information on efficient, cost-effective recommendations, actions, and planning tools for dental hygiene business owners. This step would involve identifying and encouraging the application of a body of best practice service delivery and business models. A plan must also be developed to address the gaps in skills and knowledge.
Steps one and two will allow female-dominated dental hygiene businesses to effectively compete with other oral health businesses by improving productivity, business performance, and responsiveness to clients' needs. It will also help foster the development and implementation of policies of an oral health care system and strategies to address health care system priorities. The data is intended to be used by all levels of government; researchers; stakeholders; advocacy groups; private and public organizations, including dental hygiene education institutions and dental hygiene professional organizations; and dental hygienists themselves.
Steps one and two directly align with federal priorities set out by Health Canada's health human resource strategy division, including health workforce optimization and practice environment revitalization. CDHA calls on the federal government to support the health human resources planning for dental hygiene businesses and we look forward to working together on these issues.
Thank you very much.