History – Saskatchewan Dental Hygienists Association

In July of 1970, the Canadian Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA) approved the initial constitution and bylaws and the Saskatchewan Dental Hygienists’ Association (SDHA) became a reality! The first annual meeting of the SDHA was held in November of 1970 with fourteen (14) members attending.
Since 1970, the SDHA has maintained a close relationship with the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CDSS). Dental hygiene representation at their meetings occurred in 1973 when an SDHA representative was allowed to participate in auxiliary discussions. In 1976, this privilege was extended to include the complete spring and fall sessions, and in 1979 the SDHA representative was entitled to voting status.

Over the years, the SDHA has contributed towards the advancement of dental hygiene in Saskatchewan and has been dedicated to the oral and overall health of our people. Briefs and letters were submitted to the provincial government on the Proposed Dental Care Program for Children, and the Dental Profession Act as well as other items of mutual interest.

In 1976, the number of continuing education programs offered to members increased and the SDHA began receiving grants from the CDSS to provide these programs. In 1981, the CDSS instituted continuing education credits as a requirement for licensure.

The SDHA has also promoted relationships between the other oral health professions in Saskatchewan by initiating a “Preventive Assistant Award” for Certified Dental Assistants and by organizing the first joint auxiliary meeting of all provincial auxiliary associations.

In 1980, the first class of Saskatchewan Dental Hygienists graduated from Wascana Institute. SDHA also initiated a “Mary Geddes Memorial Award” for a graduate of the program. Mary Geddes (nee Brett) was the first dental hygienist to register in Canada. She registered with the CDSS on April 1, 1950. She graduated from the University of Minnesota on June 12, 1948 and resided in Regina. Her brother, Dr Brett was a well know Regina dentist.

The SDHA became incorporated under the Societies Act in 1978. In 1996 SDHA was registered with “The Non-profit Corporations Act” as a non-profit organization.

In 1994, the SDHA hosted the CDHA conference for the first time. At that conference, the SDHA started down the road to self-regulation by submitting a proposal to the Minister of Health, Louise Simard. In 1997, the Dental Disciplines Act came into being but self-regulation did not come into effect until the Administrative and Regulatory Bylaws were proclaimed by Government on March 13, 1998. Upon self-regulation, theSDHAhas continued as a corporation under the Dental Disciplines Act.

SDHA employed Charlene Hamill as their inaugural Secretary/Treasurer/Registrar in 1997. The first Council meeting of theSDHAwas held on July 25-26, 1998. At this time, Continuing Education Guidelines were established.

The first Oral Health Professions Annual Scientific Session was held in conjunction with the CDSS, the SDHA, the Saskatchewan Dental Assistants Association (SDAA), and the Saskatchewan Dental Therapists Association (SDTA) in Saskatoon, in September 2002.

SDHA hosted the 14th Annual CDHA Conference in June 2003 in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Theme was “Expanding Horizons”.

In 2003 Barbara Long was hired as the Registrar-Executive Director and the SDHA moved to the Policy Governance style of administration in order to provide strategic leadership to the organization. This required amendments to the administrative bylaws to reflect the change in governance style and the employment of an Executive Director whose position assumed the duties previously held by the Registrar.

The SDHA set a Guinness World Record in Regina, Saskatchewan on October 20, 2003 for “Most People Simultaneously Flossing Their Teeth”. The Guinness World Record Certificate reads: Organized by the Saskatchewan Dental Hygiene Association, a total of 1,146 people flossed their teeth for 45 seconds on a single line of dental floss as part of National Dental Hygiene Week, at Campbell Collegiate High School, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on 20 October,2003. Event Organizers were Veronica Hermiston & Sheila Petrollini to celebrate National Dental Hygienists Week.

In 2007, the Continuing Competency Program (CCP) Guidelines were revised to require 50 credits/hours within a 3-year period, with 30 coming from the dental hygiene practice category.

In 2008, the SDHA celebrated ten years of self-regulation. Anniversary SDHA portfolio binders were distributed to the membership and Fran Richardson, the Registrar of the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario was an invited guest speaker at our Oral Health Professions Conference in September 2008.

In June 2011, Kellie Glass (Watson) assumed the role of Registrar-Executive Director when Barbara Long retired from the organization.
In 2015, the inaugural SDHA dental hygiene conference “Live, Love, Learn” was held
On April 10, 2017, as part of National Dental Hygienists Week, the SDHA,represented by members of Council, SDHA staff, CDHA staff, and instructors from SK Polytechnic had the pleasure of speaking with many MLA’s about the vital role dental hygienists play in helping all residents of Saskatchewan, especially seniors, Indigenous peoples, and other vulnerable populations, achieve optimal oral and overall health. The primary purpose of the visit was to alert MLAs about the tremendous oral health need of the people of our province and to communicate that the dental hygiene community is dedicated to preventing disease, addressing unmet oral health needs, and reducing health disparities.
In January 2019, SDHA employed Shelby Hamm as Deputy Registrar. This new role was developed as a reflection of the organization’s growth.
In May 2019, Catherine Folkersen assumed the role of Registrar-Chief Executive Officer.
In November 2019 the SDHA hosted an MLA Reception in Regina regarding Amendment of Section 25 of the Dental Disciplines Act.
In March 2020, The SDHA worked through its first ever COVID-19 Pandemic, advocating for government mandated closures of Saskatchewan Dental Offices, and providing interim guidance for dental hygienists returning to work in conjunction with the Government of Saskatchewan’s “Reopen Saskatchewan” plan.
6^th Annual SDHA Conference & 50^th Anniversary Celebration was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions on group gatherings.