November 01, 2005
Health Minister Tim Sale today introduced the Dental Hygienists Act and the Dental Association Amendment Act in the Manitoba legislature.
“There are presently more than 500 dental hygienists practicing in Manitoba,” said Sale. “The Dental Hygienists Act will allow for the creation of a College of Dental Hygienists. The college will be delegated with the authority to regulate the practice of dental hygienists and, if required, allow for formal discipline inquiries.”
The act would require that a person who wishes to practice dental hygiene and use the titles dental hygienist, oral hygienist or registered dental hygienist meet the qualifications set out in the act and the regulations to be made under the act.
The act is modelled on the recent Medical Laboratory Technologists Act and will bring Manitoba in line with other provincial jurisdictions that regulate dental hygienists.
“Dental hygienists have told us this act will enable them to provide services in such areas as personal care homes and rural communities,” said Sale. “This will allow us to bring better care to our seniors, closer to home.”
Sale also introduced the Dental Association Amendment Act which would provide clear authority for the Manitoba Dental Association to regulate dental assistants and to provide representation from dental assistants on the association’s council and some of its committees.
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