The Oral Health Team is made up of registered dental hygienists, certified dental assistants and a public health dental consultant. They deliver community and school based programs providing dental screenings, preventive programming and oral health presentations.
The public health dental consultant is a qualified dentist with a master’s degree in dental public health. He is responsible for planning, directing, and monitoring oral health programs offered by the health unit and acts a resource for Simcoe and Muskoka dentists in relation to dental public health. He also participates in administering the Children in Need of Treatment Program, as well as the dental programs for children and adults through Ontario Works.
Registered dental hygienists hold a diploma from a community college and are registered to perform dental hygiene in Ontario. If your child has had his or her teeth examined in school, the examination has been carried out by one of the health unit’s registered dental hygienists. Registered dental hygienists screen children for decay, and refer students needing urgent care to local dentists. They set up a “portable shop” complete with equipment and chair, to provide pit and fissure sealants, scaling and fluoride treatments as well as community presentations.
Certified dental assistants have post secondary school training in dental assisting. They work in a team with registered dental hygienists providing dental screening and preventive programming in schools as well as community presentations.