Upholding Quality Care

There are approximately 3000 registered dental hygienists in B.C.

As a registrant of a self-regulating profession, a dental hygienist must practice safely, ethically, and effectively for the promotion of the oral health and well-being of the public, as outlined by the CDHBC Practice Standards.

In accordance with the Health Professions Act, the practice of dental hygiene is monitored and regulated by independent governing bodies in each province. Certain provinces, including B.C., require dental hygienists to obtain national certification (see NDHCB) before applying for registration. Those who have not graduated from a program on Schedule I and/or have not been previously registered within Canada, or dental hygienists from other countries, also must successfully challenge the CDHBC Clinical Exam in order to apply for registration to practice within British Columbia.

Notice of Board Meeting

Friday, March 26, 9:30am-4:30pm at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Room #524, 311 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond (please contact the College by March 19 to RSVP)

Renewal for 2010 Is Now Closed 

If you have missed the renewal deadline and wish to continue to be registered with CDHBC, you have until April 30th to reinstate your registration. PLEASE NOTE: If you have not renewed your registration, you are currently not registered to practice dental hygiene and must wait until you are reinstated before returning to practice. To apply for reinstatement, please read the information guide and fill out the reinstatement application form.

Update: Interpretation Guidelines for Antibiotic Premedication of Clients with Joint Replacements

Due to recent changes in recommendations for the prophylactic premedication of clients with joint replacements, the CDHBC Interpretation Guidelines have been revised as follows:

Current scientific evidence indicates that dental clients who have undergone an orthopaedic joint replacement may be at risk for bacteremia-associated hematogenous seeding of bacteria onto joint implants in the early post-operative period and for many years following implantation. 

Dental hygienists will consult with the client’s orthopaedic surgeon on a case-by-case basis, except in cases where a decision regarding the need for premedication had been previously determined by the client’s surgeon and was clearly documented.

For the complete version of this guideline, please refer to Tab 7 of the CDHBC Handbook.

Call for Entries

The College is currently accepting submissions for Access. The next issue will commemorate the 15th anniversary, so we are seeking unique contributions such as archival photographs and personal essays (as space permits). All submissions are subject to approval and editing. For more information or to send a submission, email pbowman@cdhbc.com. Entries for Access must be received by the first week of March, but later entries may be considered for publication on the website.

Darlene Thomas Award Nominations

Nominations are still being accepted.
Download the information and nomination form here.
 

Approved Continuing Education Local Anesthesia Courses

A CDHBC-approved local anesthetic course will be offered in Spring 2010 through Vancouver Island University Dental Hygiene Program in Nanaimo, B.C. The course is offered online (via Moodle) with two clinical weekends.

The next session begins March 29, with two clinical weekend sessions scheduled on April 24/25 and June 5/6. There is limited attendance, so early registration is recommended.

For more information, please contact Marg Taylor at (250) 740-6175 or email Local.Anesthetic@viu.ca

H1N1 Information Updates

If you become symptomatic or have questions regarding H1N1, please contact the H1N1 Flu Hotline at (800) 454-8302 or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, 24 hours/7 days per week to speak directly with a nurse.

For current, daily updates, please visit the Centre for Disease Control website.

Also see the [PDF] Fall issue of Access for more information.

Further details regarding vaccinations, anti-virals, and H1N1 preparedness can be found at FightFlu.ca and  www.gov.bc.ca/h1n1/.