House of Delegates (HOD)

Every three years, in conjunction with the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene, the governing body of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH), the House of Delegates (HOD) meets to conduct the business of the Federation. Currently IFDH has a membership of twenty six countries and each member country is allowed to send two delegates to sit on the House of Delegates.

The function of the HOD is to determine and agree goals which can be globally aspired to.  Currently there are six goals which IFDH aim to achieve:

1. Strengthen the professional profile of dental hygiene worldwide
2. Increase membership in all eligible categories
3. Strengthen collaboration with other organisations
4. Support the visibility of dental hygiene education
5. Support the development of research by dental hygienists
6. Strengthen communication within the IFDH

In order to achieve these goals, members of the HOD are sub-divided into various committees who, over the following three years prior to the next HOD meeting, will liaise with each other as well as collaborate with other organisations in order to achieve the objective of the goal. For example, the Research Committee is responsible for achieving goal 5 by providing information on issues such as funding opportunities for research or access to research methodology. This information is then published on the IFDH website.

The next HOD meeting will be in Scotland to tie in with ISDH 2010.  It is an honour for BSDHT to have around the table colleagues from all over the world sharing in our passion and aspiration to be recognised for what we are - professionals.

They say that no man is an island.  There is a world out there - let's participate in it!

House of Delegates, Toronto 2007