17
Volume3 Issue5
|
CDA
at
W
ork
FIRSTVISIT,
FIRSTTOOTH
CECourse GainingMomentum
Aspart of CDA’s
(FVFT)
initiativepromoting first dental visits by
12months of age (or within 6months of first tooth eruption), CDA launched its
FVFT
continuing education (CE) course in January 2016.
Dr. Ross Anderson, head of pediatric dentistry at DalhousieUniversity and
chief of dentistry at the IWKHealthCentre, and also amember of the CDA
Access toCareWorkingGroup, developed the course to reinforce the first
visit as a best dental practice to help reduce early childhood caries (ECC).
According toa2013 report from theCanadian Institute forHealth Information,
dental surgery to treat ECCaccounts for aboutone-thirdof
preventable
day
surgeries inpreschoolers.
1
“Seeing thedentist by12monthsof age is essential,”
stressesDr. Anderson. “The consequences of untreated ECC canbe serious.
We too often see infantswithpain, trouble eating and sleepingwhich can
have an impact on normal growth anddevelopment in an infant or toddler.”
The
FVFT
course iscustomizableandcanbeadapted to suit thepresenter’sownmaterial and
presentation style, and to focuson locally relevant issues. It is also interactiveandcomeswith
supplies (includingbrushes, varnishandadoll) to simulatehands-onexaminations.
Thecoursecontent goesbeyondexaminationprocedures tooutline keyconversations
dentists shouldbehavingwithcaregivers about topics suchasdiet andoral healthhabits.
“Thecourse incorporatesboth knowledge transfer andexperiential learning tooffer the
best educational experience for dentists and their dental teams,” explainsDr. Anderson.
Reference
1.Canadian Institute forHealth Information.Treatment
ofPreventableDentalCavities inPreschoolers:AFocus
onDaySurgeryUnderGeneralAnesthesia.2013
Dr. Heather Carr, chair of theCDAAccess toCareWorkingGroup, underlines the importance
of raisingawarenesson this issue: “Evenwithinour dental community, therecanbe
hesitationsormisconceptions about treating infants. Each time the
FVFT
course isgiven,we
reinforce thenotion that first dental visitsby12monthsof agearebest practice,” she says.
Since its launch, the
FVFT
coursehasbeendelivered toover 700oral healthprofessionals
acrossCanada. Dr. Anil Joshi ofMoncton, NewBrunswick, has led
FVFT
sessions for over
200dental teammembers. “Manywereoverwhelmedby theextent of ECC inour province
and inCanada, and they found the tools tobeveryhelpful,” saysDr. Joshi. “Theyalsoclearly
expressed theneed for continued support fromCDAand theprovincial associations to keep
thisprogramat the forefront,” headds.
a
First visit to thedentist
byage1,
orwithin6monthsof
eruptionof first tooth.
CDABESTPRACTICE
BC
35
AB
10
SK
60
MB
15
ON
155
QC
10
NB
50
NS
281
NL100
Numberofparticipantsperprovince
(January to June2016)
Dr. RossAnderson (c.) lends
hisexpertiseduringahands-on
examination session.
