A recent announcement about plans for teachers to supervise toothbrushing in schools is facing backlash. Sir Keir Starmer of the Labour Party shared plans to help solve the NHS dentistry problem, which involved teachers in areas of high tooth decay supervising the morning toothbrushing for students aged three to five. However, DailyMail.com reported that “critics … Read more
A B.C. dentist has been suspended from practice, just a few years after his last discipline for misconduct, reported CBC News. Dr. Kyle Nawrot’s most recent punishment includes a year-long suspension, paying $10,000 in fines, and he must participate in remedial education. Just four months after Nawrot returned to work after his previous suspension, an … Read more
Oral surgeon Dr. Louis Bourget changes his plea to guilty for an assault charge regarding allowing a prison guard to do dental work on an inmate from a Newfoundland jail. In October 2020, an inmate was taken to Bourget’s practice for a tooth extraction where he allowed one of the prison guards accompanying the patient … Read more
A Saskatoon dentist hired a marketing company that pressured two patients to take down their negative online reviews of the practice. CTV News reported that “the women were even threatened with legal action.” The owner of the practice confirmed he hired the man known as Kal to manage the online reputation of his practice. It … Read more
The Government of Canada announced that $15 million is being awarded to Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada so they can begin working on the operation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan to ensure a successful launch of the full program. “This includes work such as recruitment, information technology-related activities and business planning,” they reported … Read more
Marc Leffler, DDS, Esq. recently reported on a legal case where a patient unsuccessfully sued their former dentist when the dentist refused to refund them for failed treatment. The patient was being treated for hypertension, elevated cholesterol, and type II diabetes when he was found to have periodontal bone loss and furcation involvement, leading to … Read more
Findings have been released by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons regarding a former Barrie dentist, Dr. Adam Chapnick, who was found guilty of misconduct. Two investigations took place by the College concerning events beginning in 2015, reported CTV News recently. He was found guilty of “disgraceful, dishonourable, unprofessional and unethical conduct” and stripped of … Read more
Nova Scotia’s licensing body for dentists is requiring Dalhousie University dental graduates to state whether they are one of the students accused of posting violent and sexual comments about women online. In 2015, Dalhousie partially suspended 13 dental students after complaints were made against them for making anti-women comments on Facebook. According to the Toronto … Read more
On July 19, 2023, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO), along with the other regulatory colleges representing dental hygienists, dental technologists, and denturists, announced they are rescinding their COVID-19 guidance. They made this decision after analyzing current trends and evidence of improvement in Ontario, such as Public Health Ontario’s COVID-19 tool which shows COVID … Read more
The N.W.T. continue to struggle finding dentists willing to travel and work in their communities. A few of the reasons dentists are unwilling to take on the work is the long hours, lower pay, and inadequate work spaces and equipment. CBC recently reported that Dr. Pirjo Friedman, a dentist with Adam Dental Clinic in Yellowknife, … Read more
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced changes to Canada’s immigration program that will focus on bringing individuals with health care expertise to the country to help with the health care field shortage. Express Entry will now allow the Government of Canada to issue invitations to apply for permanent residency to health workers such as doctors, nurses, … Read more
Recent data reveals that provinces with their own dental care coverage for children have received a smaller share of federal money from the Canada Dental Benefit, reports the Canadian Press. The benefit was designed to “complement provincial coverage” and fill the gaps, which does not mean the benefit will be applied equally across all provinces. … Read more
The American Dental Association (ADA) has published a new guideline that recommends that “conservative methods to treat tooth decay” could have better results when used with common restorative materials. This guideline was published in The Journal of the American Dental Association after a panel of dentists extensively reviewed approximately 300 studies. The ADA also reports … Read more
A study from the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) claims the “payer-of-last-resort model” set up by the government for the new national dental care plan is not the most effective or efficient way to provide coverage. Concerns have risen surrounding the mix of public payers and those with private insurance. North Shore News … Read more
On June 21, 2023, the Government of Canada announced they had reached the next step in the procurement process for the national dental care plan. After working with qualified suppliers on requirements, a Request for Proposal has been issued to the pre-qualified suppliers. “Our government is committed to completing an open, transparent and competitive procurement … Read more
A recent report from CBC News reveals a civil court has ruled that the Manitoba Dental Association (MDA) “acted reasonably in removing a dentist from its board of directors who refused to sign an amended code of conduct, following comments he made about Indigenous people and the residential school system the board deemed offensive.” After … Read more
A new agreement is allowing more services to be included in Nova Scotia oral health programs for children and people with intellectual disabilities. The province is now funding services such as scaling, sedation and silver diamine fluoride application. However, this will increase fees paid by the province and is estimated to be about $4.7 million … Read more
A class-action bid by former patients of a Halifax pediatric dentist has been denied by Nova Scotia Supreme Court. The legal action against Dr. Errol Gaum involved his alleged victims who hoped to receive compensation for the assault and negligence that Gaum had used on them while practising from the early 1970s to 2020. The … Read more
It was recently reported by the Miami Herald that a dental technician in New York is facing up to 10 years in prison due to stealing metals from the dental clinic he was employed at. The man stole and sold gold, silver and palladium, which was meant to be recycled and used to make crowns … Read more
Back in February 2019, two police officers intervened during a dental-fee dispute and are now being suspended for their actions. Leveesa Lessey, a 38-year-old mother, took her son to a dentist appointment to have cavities filled. She agreed to amalgam fillings, typically covered by insurance, but the dentist used composite fillings which were going to … Read more