Blazing A Trail For Ontario Dental Assistants

The Ontario Dental Assistants Association, then the Ontario Dental Nurses & Assistants Association, was formed by Marion Edwards in 1927—just two years before women got the vote!

Back then, dental assistants learned on the job. They were not formally educated, and their skills and abilities were only as good as the person who trained them.

In 1960, a committee of dental assistants, spearheaded by June Cook—an ODAA member since 1946—convinced the Royal College of Dental Surgeons (RCDS) of the need for formal training for Ontario dental assistants.

It was decided that the ODAA would become the certifying body for Ontario dental assistants. The committee worked with the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) and the Toronto Academy of Dentistry to prepare the curriculum for training and certification. The first Certification Certificates were presented in November 1961 and the status of the dental assistant was elevated to a new high.

In 2009, the Ontario Dental Assistants Association marked its 75th anniversary of incorporation. Backed by a solid history, we stand proud - poised to shape our own future.

Read our President’s Message.