According to a Jan. 20 news release, the territorial government released the What We Heard: Proposed Dental Hygienist Profession Regulations Under the Health and Social Services Professions Act.
The proposed changes aim to “move the regulation” of dental hygienists from the Dental Auxiliaries Act to the Health and Social Services Professions Act — the latter of which supporting “a comprehensive and consistent framework for the regulation of all health and social services professionals in the [NWT].”
As part of the report, the government heard back from hygienists, themselves, as well as Indigenous governments, members of the public and other stakeholders.
“Public engagement on these regulations marks a significant step towards enhancing dental care and expanding access to healthcare,” states the release. “The [Government of the] NWT will use the feedback from this engagement, along with cross-jurisdictional reviews and additional policy research, to guide the development of Dental Hygienist Profession Regulations.”
According to the report, itself, the “proposed key elements are based on the regulation of dental hygienists in other Canadian jurisdictions and the regulation capacity of the Department [of Health and Social Services].”
It notes that the “most significant change” would be the “expanded scope of category for registration.”
“This will allow NWT dental hygienists to practice their full skill set, improve recruitment and retention of dental hygienists in the NWT, and align with the scope of practice of dental hygienists across Canada,” it states.
According to the report, the department gathered 10 written submissions from The College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, The College of Dental Hygienists of Nova Scotia, three dental hygienists, two members of the public, one osteopathic doctor, one insurance agency and one member of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association.
As for the extended scope of practice, respondents said that allowing hygienists to “practice at their full scope” would provide “a broader range of services to the population of the NWT and [increase] access to care” in the territory.
As for removing dentist supervision, they said such a move would “allow for travel to communities to provide required dental care that could reach a larger portion of the population.” One respondent said the change could “have a positive impact” for employers in the form of reducing unnecessary cost. It would also align the NWT with other Canadian jurisdictions.
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