Canadian Dental Hygienists Association

Abstract Background Structured frameworks exist for analyzing patient complaints, but no published framework specific to the regulatory context of dental hygiene was identified in our review. Existing approaches developed in broader healthcare settings or in dentistry do not reflect the distinct complaint patterns and regulatory obligations in dental hygiene practice. This study aimed to develop a complaint taxonomy specific to dental hygiene using regulatory complaint data from the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO). Methods A qualitative content analysis using taxonomic methods was conducted, involving inductive coding of 126 closed complaint files and 171 Registrar-initiated reports submitted to CDHO between 2017 and 2022, alongside a structured literature scan. The development process included iterative coding, inter-coder reliability testing, and validation by an expert panel of regulatory staff. Results The resulting CDHO Complaints Taxonomy Framework includes four domains, ten categories, 22 subcategories, and 71 unique complaint codes (81 including “Other” codes). The domains encompass Clinical Care , Management and Operations , Relationships and Professionalism , and Outside of Direct Patient Care , capturing issues related to treatment quality and safety, documentation and billing practices, professional communication and boundaries, and regulatory compliance. The fourth domain focuses on complaint issues that arise outside direct patient care but fall within the regulator’s mandate, reflecting a broader range of conduct and obligations addressed through professional regulation. Risk levels were assigned at the code level and applied at the file level using a risk calculator, enabling differentiation between complaint frequency and regulatory severity. Application of the taxonomy demonstrated differences in complaint content by source, with public complaints more frequently addressing clinical care concerns and Registrar-initiated reports more commonly involving compliance and conduct outside of direct patient care. Conclusions The taxonomy supports standardized complaint classification, trend analysis, and risk-informed regulatory oversight. While aligned with foundational healthcare complaint frameworks, it is tailored to the regulatory context of dental hygiene practice in Ontario. This model may inform similar efforts by other oral health regulators seeking to enhance public protection and professional accountability. Trial Registration Not applicable

Controversy continues to surround the biological activity of short fibre chryso tile largely due to a lack of 'pure exposure' situations available for study: most human exposures are confounded by concomitant long fibre and/or amphi bole exposure. This report presents the morphological and morphometric findings of a lifetime inhalation study of F344 rats exposed to three types of chrysotile. Fibres from the first sample, from Coalinga, Calif., are almost all less than 5 μm in length and do not contain amphibole types of asbestos. The other two, from Quebec, Canada, are a sample from the Jeffrey mine and the UICC/B standard. These are both long fibre preparations with a minor degree of amphibole contamination. Animals exposed to these fibres displayed no tumours above control levels following exposure to Coalinga chrysotile but gave significant tumourigenic responses with both types of Canadian fibres.