Cochrane Canada was again invited to speak to the dental hygiene students and staff at the Canadian National Institute of Health in Ottawa about Cochrane and its many resources.  When the students were polled at the beginning of the session, most of the thirty-three dental hygiene students had not heard about or used Cochrane Reviews or resources. Although they would learn about Cochrane Reviews later in their research course, their clinical coordinator, believed hearing about Cochrane resources from a Cochrane Canada staff member was an excellent opportunity to understand how research could be used in dental hygiene practice.

The students were given the chance to learn about Cochrane, its resources and how they could use this high quality healthcare evidence. Included in the presentation were: what Cochrane is, why systematic reviews are important, and the types of questions Cochrane Reviews answer. A variety of Cochrane Review examples specific to dental healthcare were used throughout, demonstrating where to find and how to use Cochrane Reviews.

By the end of the session, another poll of the students indicated they now understood the variety of resources Cochrane offered and which resources they would use most frequently.

Thanks go out to Cochrane Canada’s Knowledge Broker, Eileen Vilis, for delivering the presentation and to Melissa Lambert, Clinical Coordinator, Dental Hygiene Program, Canadian National Institute of Health for inviting Cochrane Canada to speak and supporting the knowledge and use of Cochrane resources in the dental hygiene program.