The Chief Dental Officer is an official position created by the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

to improve the

oral health Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of ...

status of Canadians and to increase awareness about the prevention of oral diseases. They report to the Assistant Deputy Minister of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch and to the deputy minister of health. The first chief dental officer was Peter Cooney. This position was established in 2004. They are involved in many programs including: *Oral Health and the Canadian Health Measures Survey: this is used to associate the effect of oral health on major health concerns such as

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

and

cardiovascular diseases Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

*Federal, Provincial, Territorial Dental Director's Working Group: a group in which public dental health programs will be evaluated for effectiveness *Children's Oral Health Initiative was developed to analyse the difference in oral health of Inuit children and the mainstream population

External links

CDO WebLink
Government of Canada {{canada-gov-stub