Juin / juillet 2010 - Volume 47 No 3 - Ordre des dentistes du Québec

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear colleagues,
Many of you will realize, as you read
these words, that the subject of my
editorial this time is almost a historic
event! i am pleased to inform you
that work to update the regulatory
framework governing our professional relations
with dental hygienists and dental assistants is
nearly finished.
Our work on the basics is now complete.
next, legal staff at the Office des professions
will draft the necessary statutes over the coming
weeks. this draft legislation will then be
published for public consultation purposes
this fall and, if all goes as planned, adopted
by the government before the end of the year.
What are the highlights of this update and
how will it affect your practice? Let me reassure
you, first of all: the dental team, as we know it
today, will remain intact. this is excellent news,
especially for our patients who receive integrated
and complete attention to their oral
health in our offices. We all agree that dental
hygienists make an essential contribution in
this respect.
You will also be pleased to learn that the
supervision requirements now stipulated in the
Regulation respecting certain acts that may be
performed by dental hygienists will be considerably
relaxed. their application will reflect
certain practices already in effect. they will
have little impact on the way work is currently
organized in dental offices. i must emphasize,
also, that the greater recognition of dental
hygienists’ skills will open up new possibilities
for the whole team in terms of the dental
services that can be offered.
More good news: dental assistants with a
diploma from the Ministère de l’éducation du
québec will be legally authorized to perform
more than ten oral acts, including taking x-rays
and applying sealants. these delegated acts will
have to be closely supervised and will require
your presence at all times.
Dental assistants without a diploma from
the Ministère can either continue to perform
assistance tasks with patients or enrol in
the program to evaluate their skills offered
by continuing education centres. Assistants
who meet the requirements will be entitled
to the same diploma and the same privileges
as their colleagues with vocational diplomas.
the professional diploma in dental assistance
will finally be properly recognized.
in the coming weeks, we will be sending
you more detailed information regarding
this update. in the meantime, you should know
that the Office des professions is very satisfied
with the work accomplished, key to the success
of a process that actually began more than
10 years ago!
Enjoy your summer!
DIANE
LEGAULT
DiAnE LEGAuLt, DMD, MbA
President
jOURnAL DE L’ORDRE DES DEntiStES DU qUébEC | 41 | VOLUME 47 nO 3 | jUin / jUiLLEt 2010
tO COntACt ME:
DiAnE.LEgAULt@ODq.qC.CA