Since the beginning of 2020, the Healthy Smile Happy Child initiative has offered the public five CE Learning Sessions as part of their ongoing presentation series. The presentations were open to the public at large and were broadcast through Telehealth and Zoom.
Over 600 people, mostly dental professionals and primary healthcare workers, from across Canada attended the presentations. The learning sessions discussed a variety of topics related to early childhood oral health:
Parents’ Views on Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as a Treatment Option to Arrest Early Childhood Caries (ECC)
Presented on February 2, 2020
Dr. Grace Kyoon-Achan, a research associate at Healthy Smile Happy Child and the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, discussed her findings, obtained through interviews and focus groups, on the views of First Nations, Métis, and newcomer families on using SDF as a treatment option to manage early childhood caries.
Prenatal, Maternal, and Early Childhood Factors Associated with Dental Surgery to Treat Severe Early Childhood Caries
Presented on April 9, 2020
Dr. Robert Schroth, a professor and clinician scientist at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, discussed and reviewed findings from a recent study investigating the association between prenatal, maternal, and early childhood factors and treatment of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) under general anesthesia.
Dispelling Myths in Early Childhood Oral Health
Presented in two parts on May 6 and June 3, 2020
Dr. Robert Schroth and Melina Sturym (RDH) discussed common myths and misconceptions in early childhood oral health around issues such as breastfeeding and baby teeth, teething, Silver Diamine Fluoride, the impact of maternal nutrition on baby teeth, maternal dental care during pregnancy, and many others.
The Development of an Oral Health Educational Tool for Newcomer Parents of Young Children
Presented on June 17, 2020
Dr. Maryam Amin, a professor in the division of pediatric dentistry and the director of the Graduate Program for Dentistry, in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, discussed the development of a culturally appropriate tool to enhance the oral health literacy of newcomer families in Canada.
The presentations are currently available for viewing on the Healthy Smile Happy Child YouTube channel.