Watch the replay on the Alumni and Friends Facebook page!

Event Details

There is a direct association between oral disease and the social determinants of health, such as education, income, and geographic location. Disparities in access to care need to be investigated in all aspects of oral health care, including the allocation of resources, oral health care services usage, and the quality of services.

This Open Dialogue Live episode will explore current issues in oral health care faced by Canadians across the lifespan, from children under care of the government to aging populations in long-term care facilities.

Dr. Rebecca Affoo, Faculty of Health, and Prof. Shauna Hachey, Faculty of Dentistry, the co-leads of Dalhousie’s Healthy Populations Institute Flagship Project Putting ‘Oral Health is Health’ into Action, will moderate this session.

Register and Watch Live

Register to receive event reminders and details on how to join the event, which will be streamed live on our Facebook page. Attendees are invited to participate in the discussion by posting questions and comments during the live event. Although we hope you can watch live, you will also be provided access to the recording following the event.

Panelists

Dr. Tracy Doyle received her DDS degree from Dalhousie University, completed a dental residency program at SickKids in Toronto, and received a MSc in paediatric dentistry from the University of Toronto. She is the director of the Dalhousie paediatric dentistry undergraduate curriculum, the associate chief of dentistry at the IWK Health Centre, and a clinical director for the Special Smiles program with the Special Olympics.

Dr. Carolyn Mitchell is a primary health care nurse practitioner with Nova Scotia Health and is currently seconded as an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University. She holds BN, MN-NP, and DNP degrees. Her area of scholarship and research covers the health-care needs of children in care and the effects of adverse childhood experiences. She also has an interest in supporting patients of all ages living with multiple chronic diseases and complex care needs.

Dr. Brandon Doucet graduated from Dalhousie Dentistry in 2019 and has since been a practicing dentist in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He has a keen interest in oral surgery and public health. He is the founder of Coalition for Dentalcare, a group that highlights the shortcomings of our existing dental care system and advocates for a more humane alternative.

Dr. Mary McNally is a professor and associate dean of research for the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University. Her academic interests include caring for elders, oral health promotion, and health care ethics, focusing on social justice and access to care for priority populations. She holds MSc, MA, and DDS degrees and has been a full-time faculty member at Dalhousie for over 20 years.

Floyd Prosper is a Dental Therapist in the First Nations community of Eskasoni, N.S., where he grew up. He graduated in 1994 from the National School of Dental Therapy. In his early career, he spent time in the Canadian Arctic and is now working out of the Eskasoni Elementary School as well as Membertou. His first dental experience was with a dental therapist at age 10. He believes whole heartedly that dental therapy needs to be supported to make a return in Canada. He feels this will increase access to care in some of the most remote and poorly serviced First Nations communities that suffer disproportionately from poor health outcomes and a lower life expectancy.