The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Dentistry will be involved in a nationwide study into the oral health of Canadians.

The study will be conducted over the next two years, includes 10 Canadian Dental Schools, and Dr. Walter Siqueira, Associate Dean Academic and President of the Canadian Association for Dental Research says it will be a partnership with Statistics Canada that will include 7000 Canadians.

Siqueira explains there will be a survey with a questionnaire, clinical evaluation and saliva collection. He says there is a direct connection to the mouth and overall body health, and hopes the data will lead decision makers to create new initiatives to improve oral health in Canada.

Siqueira says it has been almost 14 years since the last time a study like this was done. He explains it’s difficult for governments to allocate funding with out of date information.

Siqueira suggests the data, will also be used to better educate at the participating dental schools, and to identify what is happening in the mouths of the Canadian population.