Representatives from the Irish Dental Hygienists Association (IDHA) travelled to Italy recently to take part in an international oral health strategy meeting.

Catherine Waldron and Sviatlana Anischuck attended the Social Responsibility Conference in Florence and took part in a Global Oral Health Strategy Session alongside world leaders in social responsibility and 20 representatives from the International Federation of Dental Hygienists.

Donna Paton, president of the IDHA, said: “We were proud to be represented by two of our members at this global event. Our association now has a mission to design a social responsibility oral health programme in Ireland over the next two years, which will ultimately involve our members volunteering their time  and expertise.

“The programme will be designed, implemented and evaluated based on evidence from successful international projects. It needs to be self-funding. It is likely that our programme will focus on two of the most underserved populations in relation to preventive oral health, young children and institutionalised older people.”