IFDH President's Report
June 2020
Soon after our previous eNewsletter, the world changed…
Our world has been faced with many difficulties in the past few months. The IFDH Board of Directors wishes to express our solidarity and support of our members as we reflect on the COVID-19 crisis and more recently, the anti- racism movement engaging us worldwide.
COVID-19:
- Worldwide: Although circumstances and the degree to which Members of our Federation have been affected by the COVID-19 virus differ a great deal from country to country, many Dental Hygienists around the world were unable to work. Currently many governments have eased public health restrictions and dental and dental hygiene practices reopen across the world. Health precautions also vary between countries, but social distancing, triage and practice disinfection are the most important preventive measures.
- IFDH and Members:
- Website & eNews: To support and inform her members on COVID-19, IFDH has gathered more than 50 resources and guidelines on its website. We are also dedicating much of our June eNews to information on COVID-19.
- COVID Survey: To better understand the impact of this pandemic on Dental Hygienists, Dental Therapists and Oral Health Therapists, IFDH developed, in cooperation with P&G, a worldwide survey. Over 10,000 responded to the questionnaire and we are proud to present a summary of the results on our website.
- Annual Conferences: Note that five of our national association members have moved their 2020 annual conference due to COVID-19 (1 to later in 2020, 2 to a different date in 2021 and 2 to a virtual conference). Two associations have cancelled their 2020 annual conferences.
Ethics: Please know that it has been IFDH practice, since our formation 34 years ago, of not making statements on, or having involvement in, any issues that are beyond our scope and mission. And, as stated in our Code of Ethics, “The Dental Hygienist strives to promote an environment in which the human rights, values, customs, and spiritual beliefs of the individual, family and community are respected.” We invite all Dental Hygienists around the world to stand together, united on this commitment.
Continuing with our Agenda: We sincerely hope we all can continue our normal life soon, as IFDH continues to focus on our agenda, as discussed at our 2020 House of Delegates meeting in Brisbane, including our Global Oral Health Summit and Executive Leadership Forum planned for 2021.
Corrie Jongbloed-Zoet, RDH, Epe
President IFDH
