RESULTS AT A GLANCE - Evaluation of the Office of the Chief Dental Officer (OCDO) July 2012 to March 2016

Office of the Chief Dental Officer

• The Office of the Chief Dental Officer (OCDO) was created in 2005 as a result of a recommendation from the 2004 Canadian Oral Health Strategy that said there was a need to improve the oral health of Canadians and raise awareness about preventing diseases affecting the mouth.
• The OCDO’s priorities have changed over time, and at the moment they include: working with others to collect national oral health information, helping with the development of policy, oral health promotion and disease prevention, working with provincial/territorial governments, federal government programs, and non-governmental organizations on oral health projects and/or sharing oral health information.
• The OCDO is a small group with four full-time staff.   
• For the most part, oral health is not covered under the Canada Health Act, and in Canada the majority of oral health services are paid for through private insurance plans.

What the evaluation found

• People interviewed inside and outside of the government found the OCDO to be a helpful resource by getting out information about oral health, directing and being a part of research related to oral health, and bringing together different oral health professionals to work together and exchange ideas. 
• Not very many program areas in the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) know that the OCDO exists. As a result, programs within the Agency do not ask the OCDO for advice when they are doing work related to oral health.
• Senior management, the OCDO, and groups inside and outside of the government have different understandings of what the OCDO is and should be. 
• The OCDO has not created a long-term plan and the Office’s leadership has changed three times in two and a half years. This turnover has meant priorities have not been stable over a short period of time.    

Recommendations and responses

1. Agency senior management, in consultation with Health portfolio members, needs to formalize the OCDO mandate and expectations for the Function.
   Response: The Branch Assistant Deputy Minister will work with PHAC, Health Portfolio and other government partners, as well as key oral health stakeholders, to develop a Mandate document for the OCDO.
2. The OCDO should develop a strategic plan that clearly defines its roles, priorities, and milestones.
   Response: OCDO will develop a strategic framework that clearly defines its roles, priorities, and milestones. 
3. A communications plan should be developed to enhance internal awareness of the OCDO at the health portfolio level, and to present a clear OCDO mandate to external stakeholders.
   Response: OCDO will work with PHAC Strategic Communications to develop a strategic communications plan for OCDO.

About the evaluation

The evaluation looked into what type of activities the OCDO does, the goals it is working towards, as well as researching what other CDOs around the world are focused on in their work. The evaluation included a review of literature and documents, as well as interviews with people inside and outside of the government.

The evaluation covered activities that took place during July 2012 to March 2016.

Findings from this evaluation will support senior management in making decisions about the OCDO.

March 2017