THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 09, 2010		HOME I LINKS I CONTACT US I LOGIN

Regulation Update – September 2009

As you know, last March, the Health Minister, Mr. David Caplan, delayed the review by the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) for the regulation of Ontario dental assistants.

The ODAA responded by sending a letter to the Ministry to inform them of our extreme disappointment with this decision. We embarked on a PR campaign and ran ODAA ads to raise awareness of the issue. In addition, the CDAA sent a letter to the Honourable David Caplan.

In May, Judy Melville and Pam Gutteridge met with a member of the Health Minister’s staff. During this meeting, we were told that Mr. Caplan acknowledges the need for dental assistants to become regulated and understands our desire to have HPRAC review our request for regulation. But he has suggested that finding the money to conduct this review is problematic as Ontario has suffered severely in the economic recession.

Though the ODAA can appreciate that many Ontarians are suffering as a result of our economic woes, we are none the less disappointed with the delay. However, we will not give up. We will continue our dialogue with the Health Minister and HPRAC in the hope that our review will happen sooner.

We need to act as if we are already regulated

Several years ago, in a meeting with HPRAC officials, it was suggested that the ODAA begin to act as if our profession is regulated. Fortunately, our certification program is similar to regulation in that those who are certified must be formally educated, must have passed an examination and must commit to continuing education. The big difference is that it is voluntary. That said, our membership is growing, and more and more dental assistants are making certification a priority. As well, more and more dentists are committed to hiring only certified assistants, and that gives our members a competitive edge.

However, for Ontario dental assisting to be like a regulated profession, we may have to look at adding a complaints and discipline component to our certification program. The Board of Directors plans to explore this in the coming year, and we will be seeking your feedback.

Meanwhile, we will continue to work at the political level to further our cause for regulation. As well, through our bold media campaigns, we will continue to educate the public regarding the work of dental assistants and the need for dental assisting in Ontario to become a regulated health profession.

Thanks for adding your many voices to our cause.

We are very pleased that hundreds of ODAA members sent letters to the Health Minister expressing dismay with his decision to delay our review. Concerns voiced by individual citizens are very powerful, and politicians cannot afford to ignore them. The ODAA wishes to thank our members for helping to strengthen our position and ensure that our voices are heard.

ODAA Letter to Minister

Sample Letter to the Minister