Dental Hygiene Quarterly is a Professional Development Subscription that provides 12 hours of Continuing Education per year.

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DHQ. Discover What's Next.

Curated learning for the curious dental hygienist.

Every quarter, the rdhu team curates emerging trends, innovative technologies, evolving research, and thought-provoking topics that have the potential to influence dental hygiene practice.

Some topics may immediately change your practice.

Others may simply plant a seed.

Either way, you'll stay connected to the ideas shaping the future of our profession.

What's Included

✔ Immediate access to the current DHQ edition

✔ Automatic access to future editions during your subscription year

✔ On-demand viewing for 5 years

✔ Certificates stored in your personal rdhu portal

✔ Activity Pages to support learning and implementation

✔ Goal Statements and Bibliographies for Learning Portfolios

✔ Additional resources for deeper exploration

✔ 12+ CE hours annually

Why DHQ?

Most dental hygienists know what they're looking for when they register for a course.

DHQ is different.

Each edition introduces you to timely topics, emerging trends, innovative technologies, and fresh perspectives you may not have discovered on your own.

We do the searching, filtering, and planning so you can stay curious, current, and connected to what's next in dental hygiene.

Every edition is designed to spark curiosity, encourage exploration, and support implementation in practice.

Current Edition: Volume 97

Aging, Dementia & Oral Health

Krystal Afzalzada, RDH, B.Ed

As Canada's population ages, dental hygienists are increasingly caring for clients living with dementia, cognitive change, and complex systemic health conditions. This course moves around three perspectives: the client, the caregiver, and the registered dental hygienist.

Participants will explore how aging and conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression/anxiety affect oral health and clinical decision-making, before moving into an in-depth look at dementia-informed care. Recognizing behaviour as communication, modifying appointments without compromising care, and documenting objectively rather than diagnostically. The course also addresses caregiver burden and realistic home-care planning, and closes with the professional responsibilities of consent, capacity, clinical judgment, and interprofessional collaboration.

Built around a recurring client case and grounded in Canadian dental hygiene practice principles, this course gives RDHs concrete tools to apply in practice the next time they see a client whose needs have quietly started to change.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Apply current dementia-care guidance to determine when to proceed, modify, or postpone scaling, root planing, and other invasive dental hygiene procedures for clients living with dementia.

2. Differentiate observable behavioural indicators of pain, fear, or unmet needs.

3. Document dementia-related clinical decisions, precautions, and caregiver communications in a manner consistent with the record-keeping requirements.

4. Design realistic, caregiver-informed home-care recommendations that reflect an understanding of caregiver burden and the shifting responsibility for oral care as dementia progresses.

5. Identify when and how to initiate interprofessional referral or consultation for clients showing new cognitive or behavioural change.

Educational Method: Self-Instruction

CE Credit: 2 hours | AGD Subject Code: 750

Original Release Date: September 2026

Expiration Date: September 2029

Prebiotics, Probiotics, Postbiotics, Oh My!

Lorraine Gambacourt, RDH

This one-hour course explores the evolving science of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics and their roles in supporting oral, gut, and systemic health. Participants will gain a clear, practical understanding of the differences among prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics, beginning with the oral and gut microbiomes and the impact of symbiosis and dysbiosis. The course explores how prebiotic fibers, plant foods and polyphenols support beneficial microorganisms, along with the practical and emerging applications of probiotics and postbiotics.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe key characteristics and functions of the oral and gut microbiomes in symbiosis and dysbiosis.

2. Differentiate between prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics.

3. Explain how prebiotic fibres and plant-based foods influence the gut microbiome.

4. Recognize the role of polyphenol-rich foods in supporting oral, gut, and systemic health.

5. Discuss practical and emerging applications of probiotics and postbiotics in supporting oral, gut, and

systemic health.

Educational Method: Self-Instruction

CE Credit: 1 hour | AGD Subject Code: 150

Original Release Date: September 2026

Expiration Date: September 2029

What Your Colleagues Are Saying About DHQ

"DHQ introduces me to topics I may not have explored on my own. I appreciate the variety and the opportunity to learn from experienced presenters throughout the year." — Sarah M., RDH

"Between work and life, finding time for continuing education can be challenging. DHQ makes it easy to fit meaningful learning into my schedule." — Patricia L., RDH

"What I value most is that each issue offers a mix of clinical and professional development topics. It feels like a well-rounded approach to lifelong learning." — Emily T., RDH

"The platform is easy to navigate, and having my certificates stored in one place gives me peace of mind when it comes to documentation and record keeping." — Jessica R., RDH

"DHQ has become part of my professional development routine. The content is practical, current, and presented in a way that keeps me engaged." — Lisa K., RDH