The Canadian National Institute of Health Inc. is pleased and very proud

to announce the results of the May 25, 2010 National Dental Hygiene

Certification Examination (NDHCE).

We congratulate those students who wrote the NDHCE certification exam for the first time and accomplished a success rate of *97%!!!! *

A well deserved congratulations are in order to the faculty and staff of CNIH who contributed to their educational experience and excellent results.

For the last 10 years, CDHA has been working collaboratively with the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Hygienists Association (NLDHA) and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to achieve self-regulation.  That day has finally arrived!

Thank you to the members of the NLDHA whose determination and hard work has made this possible.  As a result of this new act the College of Dental Hygienists of Newfoundland and Labrador will be created to regulate dental hygienists.  This act uses a different model than other provinces, since it creates a council of interdisciplinary professions.  This model suits NL, since there are small numbers of dental hygienists, and it makes sense to work collaboratively with other health professionals to establish a process of self-regulation.

NL is the second last province to achieve self-regulation. We anticipate that Prince Edward Island will be the next province to achieve self-regulation. CDHA is working collaboratively with PEI’s Visionary Committee to explore self-regulation.  CDHA asserts that dental regulation of dental hygienists is a conflict of interest, as dentists employ dental hygienists and this creates a conflict between financial and public safety interests.  Other provinces that achieved self-regulation some time ago are now developing new regulations in regards to scope of practice and supervision by a dentist. www.cdha.ca

On Tuesday, May 11, the Mentorship Program at the Canadian National Institute of Health Inc. had the Spring 2010 Term Orientation Session for the Senior Student Mentors and their respective Mentees. The Mentorship Program at CNIH mirrors the CDHO New Registrant Mentorship Program in terms of recognizing mentoring as a means for professional growth and fostering leadership within the profession.

The Mentorship Program at CNIH is designed for senior student dental hygienists to provide advice, support and guidance to the junior students. The Mentor and the Mentee design their own relationship in terms of how much time will be involved, what will be discussed and what methods they will use to communicate with each other.

The general guidelines of the Mentor-Mentee relationship is built on respect, trust and confidentiality. Acceptance to participate in the Mentorship Program at CNIH is a commitment to uphold the CDHO Code of Ethics: Beneficence, Autonomy, Privacy and Confidentiality, Accountability and Professionalism.

Submitted by Nanette Feil-Megill, Program Director, Dental Hygiene
May 12, 2010

From removing plaque deposits to taking and developing X-rays, Dental Hygienists play a crucial role in promoting good health through oral care.

But when it comes to the health of the planet, up-and-coming Dental Hygienists need to be thinking green – not just sparkling white – says Lucy Sohn, a recent graduate of the Canadian National Institute of Health.

“Think about how many students there are in the school and how many clinics there are each week,” she says. “The total number of unnecessary plastic barrier and plastic suction tube is a huge amount of waste.”

Students currently use and throw away cross-infection control items like gloves, masks, single-use cups and protective coverings from clinics.

While sanitation is paramount, it is possible to reduce waste without sacrificing proper infection control, says Sohn.

CNIH could reduce clinic waste significantly with the following tips:

• Sanitize, don’t scrap high volume suction lines that haven’t been used.
• Fill water bottles with appropriate amounts of water for appointments.
• Make prophy paste in bulk to reduce the amount of cups going to landfill. More than three million are already being dumped each year in the U.S. alone.
• Keep waste in its place with strategically placed, properly labelled recycle bins throughout the school.

These changes make both economical and environmental sense, says Sohn.

“There are some changes that may be difficult or expensive . . . (but) if students are raised in a school with environmentally friendly habits, they are more likely to continue them in the future,” she says.

CDAC Accredited Program

Canadian National Institute of Health Inc. has received Accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. Congratulations to the administration, faculty, and students of CNIH on receiving the Accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada.

Thursday, March 25th, 2010