In early 2014, Kim Nguyen and I had a pleasant opportunity to visit Jim Pattison Maternity Clinic and present topics about oral caries and infections in front of doctors, gynecologists, and registered nurses. The topics were chosen because oral carries and infections were prevalent among pregnant women going to the maternity clinic. The presentation provided

Carious lesions show on 24 and 25 buccal cusps for a pregnant mother at Jim Pattison Maternity Clinic

brief knowledge regarding the etiologies of the oral caries and infections and presented intra-oral photos and x-rays taken from the pregnant women and other clients at UBC dental clinic. After the brief presentation, we provided set of questions that RNs could ask the women such as “do you have any discomfit or pain in your mouth?” to probe oral health status and information regarding Pacific Oral Health Care to refer women who are suffering from caries and oral infections. The nurses were very pleased with the presentation as they said that they learned information that they have not been introduced before, and that they feel more confident to refer their clients to dental clinics. This session helped to merge different professions (medical, nursing, and dental hygiene) and encouraged an integrated care for pregnant women. This was a great opportunity to present scope of knowledge, practices, and skills of dental hygiene in front of other healthcare professionals.

Table clinic was one of the widely methods used in dental hygiene to disseminate information in various venues. In winter 2013, the 4^th year dental hygiene students at UBC

Table clinic at UBC Woodward building; From left: Suji Kang, Jillian Tan

hosted table clinics in UBC Woodward building and various community sites regarding various oral hygiene issues. Jillian Tan and I presented a topic regarding nutrition and oral health, emphasizing the bi-directional relationship of the two aspects. Many spectators, including healthcare students, professors, and working healthcare professionals at long-term care facility, visited the table clinic to listen how insufficient nutrition can lead to inflamed gums and oral pains that would further impact the clients having nutritious foods in their diet. There was a huge discussion about dry mouth, especially at the long-term care facility, because the majority of the elders of the facility suffered or showed symptoms of dry mouth. We handed-out 2 pamphlets; one that had a list of medications and medical conditions related to dry mouth and another one summarizing information

Table clinic at Broadway Pentacoastal Long-term Care Facility on December 4, 2013

regarding nutrition and oral health. The spectators appreciated all the information that we presented and were intrigued to further research about the topic. It was a great opportunity to promote the issue regarding nutrition and oral health and to promote the profession how dental hygienist not only considers oral health but also overall health as well.