The Future of Hygiene

A full day devoted to where dental hygiene is headed – periodontal value, professional identity, clinical technique, and implant care – taught by four leaders shaping the profession right now.

Oct 17, 2026

8:00 AM–7:00 PM

Entrepreneurship Building, Western University

7 CE Hours

4 Speakers

$249 per registrant

Overview

A full day built around where hygiene is headed

Four voices from across the profession, one stage, one room, one day. The Future of Hygiene brings together clinicians, educators, and leaders shaping dental hygiene right now — for a symposium built to go deeper than a single topic or a single hour.

The program moves from the clinical to the philosophical and back again: building a real periodontal program grounded in measurable outcomes, examining who actually shapes the identity of the RDH profession, the business and technique of teeth whitening, and an evidence-based protocol for keeping dental implants healthy for the long term.

Just as valuable as what happens on stage is who’s in the room. The Future of Hygiene brings together dental professionals from across Southern Ontario for a full day of connection — a chance to trade notes, build relationships, and learn from peers navigating the same challenges in practices just like yours.

Four speakers. Four disciplines. One question: what does dental hygiene look like next?

At a Glance

Date

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Doors Open

8:00 AM

Program Begins

8:45 AM

Doors Close

7:00 PM

Venue

Western University

Ronald D. Schmeichel Building

for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

1151 Richmond St, London, ON N6A 3K7

City

London, ON

Included

Light Breakfast, Lunch, Cocktail Hour, Hors D’ouvres

Cost

$249

The Lineup

Four speakers, four disciplines

Each session is built around a full course, complete with learning outcomes you can bring back to your practice on Monday morning.

9:00 AM

3 hours · Two Sessions

Jennifer Turner

CEO, Hygiene Headquarters Inc. · VP of Dental Hygiene Operations, 123Dentist · Past President & Chief Governance Officer, College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario

Periodontal Program

9:00 AM · 1.5 hours

Stop Pretending You Have a Perio Program

Many practices believe they have a periodontal program. In reality, patient care often varies from one clinician to another, creating inconsistent periodontal assessments, treatment recommendations, documentation, and maintenance protocols. This session provides a practical framework to build a consistent, evidence-based periodontal program that improves patient outcomes while strengthening clinical confidence and accountability.

Learning objectives

Identify the clinical habits and everyday decisions that define a high-value dental hygienist and create a consistent standard of periodontal care from assessment through long-term maintenance.
Turn periodontal findings into confident patient conversations that improve understanding, strengthen treatment acceptance, and support informed decisions about care.
Use meaningful dental hygiene metrics to uncover gaps, measure impact, and drive improvement in outcomes, consistency, and practice performance.

Practice Value

10:30 AM · 1.5 hours

The High Value Dental Hygienist

High value dental hygienists do more than provide outstanding clinical care — they create measurable value for their patients, their practice, and their profession. This session explores the key metrics, clinical habits, and everyday decisions that distinguish high value dental hygienists, and how to measure impact, identify hidden opportunities, strengthen consistency, and use meaningful data to elevate patient care, clinical excellence, and practice performance.

Recognize the everyday decisions that separate average dental hygienists from exceptional ones.
Discover the key metrics that demonstrate your value beyond production.
Leave with practical strategies to elevate your impact, strengthen your confidence, and increase your professional value.

1:00 PM

2 hours · Two Sessions

Michelle Aube Simmonds

Director of CE & IPAC, maxill · DH & IPAC Professor, Fanshawe College · President-Elect, ODHA · Founder, Positive Impact Dental Consulting

Professional Identity & Advocacy

1:00 PM · 1 hour

Finding Our RDH True North: Shaping the Profession or Inheriting the Status Quo?

The identity of the Registered Dental Hygienist has never evolved in isolation — it’s been shaped by history, education, regulation, dentistry, workplace structures, and the actions (or inaction) of hygienists themselves. Using the lenses of professional identity, power, hierarchy, and socialization, this interactive course examines how language like “just a cleaning” reinforces a task-based view of the profession, and asks who is actually responsible for shaping what the RDH profession becomes next.

Learning objectives

Examine how historical, sociological, educational, and professional influences have shaped the evolution of dental hygiene and RDH identity.
Evaluate the roles, responsibilities, and influence of key stakeholders — including practising RDHs — in shaping professional identity, public perception, and advocacy priorities.
Develop a personal RDH “True North” statement articulating professional identity, values, and contributions.

CDHO Quality Assurance Program

2:00 PM · 1 hour

The New 2026 CDHO QA Program: From Change to Confidence

The CDHO Quality Assurance Program changed in 2026 — the questions, the reporting process, the required information, and the online QA dashboard have all been redesigned, including a new risk-based Practice Profile and a 60-hour continuing education reporting requirement. This session gives Ontario RDHs a timely, practical walkthrough of what’s changed and how to navigate it: the redesigned dashboard, the Learning Profile pop-up menus, the revised Practice Profile questions, and accurate CE documentation. Building on the preceding RDH Identity session, it connects professional identity, lifelong learning, and accountability to the new QA requirements — so participants can organize their reporting before deadlines or a QA review create unnecessary stress.

Learning objectives

Identify the major changes within the new 2026 CDHO Quality Assurance Program, including the redesigned dashboard, 60-hour CE requirement, Learning Profile pop-up menus, and revised risk-based Practice Profile.
Navigate and apply the updated QA process by entering information for each learning goal, interpreting the revised Practice Profile questions, and formulating risk-based decisions reflective of one’s own practice setting.
Develop an organized, sustainable approach to professional reflection, CE reporting, documentation, and QA record maintenance that supports ongoing competence and accountability.

4:00 PM

1 hour · Late afternoon

Kerry Lipicek

Clinical Specialist, Dental Hygiene & Education, Clinical Research Dental · Advisory Board, RDH Magazine · Research Advisory Committee, ODHA

Clinical Technique & Practice Revenue

Unlocking the Bright Smile: A Comprehensive Guide to Teeth Whitening in Dental Practices

Kerry delves into the business of teeth whitening in dental practices, reviewing in-office and take-home techniques and products to enhance the patient experience and create additional revenue. The session covers patient selection, appropriate indications, and side-effect management, plus how to integrate whitening with orthodontic, restorative, and periodontal treatment for a genuinely comprehensive approach to care.

Learning objectives

Explore whitening techniques and products available for in-office and take-home use.
Understand the benefits of offering whitening treatments within your practice.
Learn the business aspects of whitening and how it impacts practice performance.
Integrate whitening into existing periodontal, restorative, and orthodontic treatment plans.
Build skills for discussing whitening confidently with patients and team members.

5:00 PM

1 hour · Closing session

Marcela Lizana

Owner & Founder, Perio Glow Dental Hygiene · Board Member & Secretary, Children’s Oral Health Outreach Canada

Implant Maintenance & Risk Assessment

Evidence-Based 10-Step Implant Maintenance Protocol for Dental Hygienists

As dental implants become increasingly common, hygienists play a vital role in their long-term success. This evidence-based lecture offers a practical, systematic approach to implant maintenance — early disease detection, risk assessment, patient education, and communication with the dental team — including a 10-step implant maintenance protocol for clinical use.

Learning objectives

Explain dental implants and implant maintenance needs to patients clearly and effectively.
Assess implant health and identify risk factors for peri-implant disease.
Recognize peri-implant health, mucositis, and peri-implantitis using the 2017 Classification.
Implement an evidence-based maintenance protocol, including air polishing and adjunctive therapies.
Recommend home-care strategies and collaborate with dentists and specialists on outcomes.

The Day