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Volume3 Issue3
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CDA
at
W
ork
andallow them toconcentrateonprovidinghealthcare,which iswhat they
love todo, andperhapsnothave toattendasmuch to thoseaspects they
don’t enjoybut arenecessary tokeep thedoorsof yourpracticeopen.”
Dr. Croutzeoperates twoclinics: one inSt. Albert, a suburbon the
outskirtsof Edmonton, and theother incentral Edmonton. From these
two locations, he treatsawide rangeofpatients. “I see individualswho
are socioeconomicallydisadvantaged, thosechallengedbycircumstances,
newcomers to thecountry. And I also seepeopleofgreatprivilegewho
grewup in theareaand return to theneighbourhood togo to the same
dental office theygrewupwith,”he says. “You learn that everyone’s the
same,weallwant the same things, butunfortunately somepeoplecan’t
alwaysaccess carebecauseof thecost.”
At theUofA,whereDr. Croutze isaclinical associateprofessor, hehelps
students inhisdental ethics courseassess thechoicesanddilemmas they
will encounter andweigh theirdecisions in termsof theirobligations to
societyand theprofession. “I try tomake sure theyunderstand there’sabit
of acallingassociatedwithourprofession, and that theyunderstand these
broader responsibilities,”he says.
Thegameplan
Continuous improvement, constant educationand re-education: this ishow
Dr. Croutzehas shapedhis career andhis lifeoutsideofdentistry. AsCDA
president, he isprepared tomake inroadson someof thekey issueshe sees
facing theprofession: improving thepublic imageofdentists, adoptinga
morecollaborativemodel of healthcaredelivery, anddeveloping secure
communicationnetworks forpatienthealth information.
Anothergoal is todevelopeffective strategies for reducingCanadians’
sugar consumption. “Without sugar, therearenocaries. And that’swhat I’m
interested in—preventing thedisease thatwe’re treatingall the time. I think it
behoovesdentistry tobe interested in this issue,”Dr. Croutze says.He recalls
last year’sCanadianOralHealthRoundtable (COHR), theCDA-organized
gatheringof varioushealthcareprovidersandotherprofessional groups,
where sugar reductionemergedasa sharedconcernamongparticipants. “The
COHR isanexampleof howacollaborativemodel of healthcaredeliverywill
helpusmove forwardonpublichealth issues. It’s really inspiringasadentist
tobe surroundedby somanydifferentprofessionsand realize theyareall
interested in theoral healthofCanadians. It reassuresme thatwe’redoing
something rightwhenyouget that kindof support.”
Healso sees the importanceofmovingdentistry further into theworldof
electroniccommunications, toenabledentists tocommunicatewithother
healthcareproviders, laboratories, pharmacistsanddental insurance
plancarriersona securenetwork. “Wecanprovidebetter care forour
patientswith systems that letusexchange information securely,”he
says. “Dentistryhasn’tbeen fully integrated into theElectronicHealth
Recordnetworkbut I thinkdentistswill eventuallyneed tobepartof
thenetwork inorder todo routine tasks likeprescribingmedications.
Sowehave tobeprepared for thatnow.”
EdmontonPhotograph: BrandCanadaLibrary
Professional
Milestones
1985:DentaldegreefromtheUniversityofAlberta
1999:BoyleMcCauleyHealthCentreawardfor
developingsupportthroughEdmontonCommunity
Foundation
2003:President,EdmontonandDistrictDental
Society
2004:FoundingMember,StudentHealth Initiative
MeetingtheNeedsofEdmonton(SHINE)Clinic
2006-07:President,AlbertaDentalAssociationand
College(ADA+C)
2006:Fellow,PierreFauchardAcademy(PFA)
2007-present:BoardMember,NationalDental
ExaminingBoardofCanada(NDEB)
2009:ElectedtotheCDABoardofDirectors
2015:President, InternationalCollegeofDentists
(ICD),CanadaSection
