Summary
In this episode, Salme Lavigne, scientific editor of the Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene (CJDH), interviews
Lindsay Van Dam and Sheri Price, two of the authors of an article published in the October 2025 issue of the
journal (Volume 59, Number 3). Learn why collaborative practice is so important in clinical oral health care and
understand what competencies a dental hygienist needs to ensure successful collaboration with colleagues from
other professions. Barriers to interprofessional collaboration in clinical practice will be discussed, and
resources will be shared for clinicians who want to learn more about interprofessional collaboration.
Practical Implications for Dental Hygienists:
- A collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to client care enhances health outcomes and addresses oral health
needs more comprehensively and holistically.
- In a healthy, interprofessional, collaborative relationship, health care providers understand, respect, and
value each other’s expertise and support each other's roles in client care.
- Interprofessional collaboration is crucial for advancing oral health care and raising the profile of the
dental hygiene profession within the primary care setting.
- Consistent interprofessional socialization and exposure to collaborative experiences during prelicensure
education are needed to support oral health students' development of attitudes and behaviours for
interprofessional practice.
Also, browse past issues of CJDH for research on
similar
topics. Individual journal articles can be easily viewed, downloaded, and printed from cjdh.ca.
CDHA members who wish to receive a certificate of completion for this learning activity should click the
Access Now button and complete the curriculum. After responding to a feedback survey, your
certificate will be available in your online CDHA profile.
Learning Outcomes
Following the learning activity, participants will be able to:
- Identify areas of their dental hygiene practice requiring improvement
- Use knowledge sources to inform dental hygiene practice and enhance service provision
- Reflect on challenges of applying new scientific research to practice
Format for Learning
The recorded interview is available in English with French closed captioning. The research article is
available in English.
The interview is approximately 25 minutes in length; access to the accompanying research articles is
provided along with a set of self-reflection questions. The learning is self-directed, and the articles
can be downloaded and printed. The self-reflection questions must be completed prior to receiving a
certificate of completion. It is expected that viewing the recording, reading the articles, and
answering the questions will take you at least 2 hours.
A certificate of completion will be provided. After watching the video, reading the article, answering
the questions, and responding to a feedback survey, you can access a certificate of completion from your
online CDHA profile.
Speakers
Lindsay Van Dam, MHS, RDH
Lindsay Van Dam is a registered dental hygienist and PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie
University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is passionate about interprofessional education (IPE), collaboration
between oral and health professions, and approaches to enhance equity, inclusion, and access within health
education, policy, and practice. Lindsay’s doctoral research involves understanding the interprofessional
socialization experiences of oral health students during prelicensure education. Her research aims are to
advance IPE in prelicensure and in practice to support enhanced interprofessional collaboration and
integrated teams in clinical care.
Sheri Price, PhD, RN, FCAN, FAAN
Sheri Lynn Price is a professor and Associate Director of Graduate Studies with Dalhousie University’s
School of Nursing, and an affiliate scientist at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her program
of research focuses on health services, interprofessional education and collaboration, and health care work
environments. Her research has advanced our understanding of how early influences on professional identity
formation, including historical stereotypes, can impact interprofessional socialization and collaborative
practice.
Salme Lavigne, PhD, RDH
Salme Lavigne was appointed scientific editor of the Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene,
effective
December 1, 2015. She
holds a diploma in dental hygiene from the University of Toronto, a bachelor’s degree in
biomedical
anthropology from
Lakehead University, a master’s degree in dental hygiene education from the University of
Missouri-Kansas
City, and a
doctorate in community health sciences from the University of Manitoba. Salme was the founding
director
of
the dental
hygiene program at Confederation College, Thunder Bay, and served as director of the School of
Dental
Hygiene,
University of Manitoba, for 13 years where she developed and initiated the first BScDH program
at that
institution. An
internationally recognized researcher and educator, Salme has received Alumni of Distinction
awards from
the
University
of Toronto and the UMKC School of Dentistry, and a Life Membership Award from the Canadian
Dental
Hygienists
Association.