Join us for RCDSO Connect: Designing Treatment for Safe, Effective Care
Join us at our next virtual RCDSO Connect event on February 4th from 7 to 8 p.m. for an informative Category 1 (core) course Quantifying Disability: The CSDH Case Complexity Tool—A Guide to Enhancing the Dentistry Experience for Persons with Disabilities.
Our first RCDSO Connect event of 2025 is a unique opportunity to learn from distinguished experts Drs. Olaf Plotzke, Clive Friedman and Sharat Pani who will share valuable insights on the Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health (CSDH) Case Complexity Tool and its role in planning safe dental care for patients with disabilities. As an added feature, Dr. Daniel Haas, a leader in dental anesthesiology, will speak about the usefulness of the Tool in making sedation decisions.
Learning objectives
This session will guide clinicians to deliver safe, effective, and patient-centred dental care while fostering greater confidence in their decision-making and care planning.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be equipped with practical tools to improve dental treatment planning for patients with disabilities and will be able to:
- Understand the importance of equitable access to oral health care and how decision-making tools can support treatment planning.
- Apply the Dental Treatment Case Complexity Assessment Tool, including the Excel-based resource, to assess case complexity and guide care decisions.
- Define considerations for planning patient-centred care through the use of the tool in diverse care settings.
- Identify the relationship between sedation and risk, based on insights on how the tool supports safer care by guiding practitioners to the minimum required sedation level.
- Describe the next steps and available resources for implementing the tool in practice.
Presenters
Dr. Olaf Plotzke – Cofounder and Past President of the Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health, Dr. Plotzke is a passionate advocate for improving oral health care access and quality of life for people with disabilities. In addition to over 30 years as a practising pediatric dentist, Dr. Plotzke served as faculty at Schulich School of Dentistry and has held leadership positions with specialty organizations.
Dr. Daniel Haas – Internationally recognized expert in dental anaesthesia and pharmacology who has been recognized for contributions to oral health and dental education, Dr. Haas is the former Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto and former head of the Faculty’s Graduate Dental Anaesthesia specialty program. Dr. Haas has dedicated his career to education and research in dental sedation, empowering practitioners to provide safer care.
Dr. Sharat Pani – Current President of the Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health, Dr. Pani brings expertise in clinical pediatric dentistry and special care dentistry. His research interests focus on the biopsychosocial model of disease, combining epidemiology, behaviour sciences and clinical pediatric dentistry.
Dr. Clive Friedman – Pediatric dentist and professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Dr. Friedman has devoted his career to special needs dentistry, oral health education, and global initiatives, including sustainable dental care programs. He has published and lectured widely on oral health, risk management, and motivational interviewing, and mentors colleagues to implement practical resources that facilitate care
Register now!
The online event is limited to 1000 attendees, so be sure to register early to secure your spot. During registration, you can submit questions for our presenters on the topics we will cover (Case Complexity Toolkit and how to apply it to improve dental care for patients with disabilities). We will address as many questions as possible during the session.