ABOUT Thompson Okanagan Dental Society

The purpose of the Thompson Okanagan Dental Society is to provide high quality continuing education to its members by holding meetings, conferences, and clinical sessions. TODS promotes a high standard in the practice of dentistry, nourishes a sense of community among dental professionals and teams, and values giving back to the community in which its members reside.

TODS represents the geographical region east to Revelstoke, west to Ashcroft, south to Osoyoos and north to Sicamous, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. The society is presided over by 5 Directors, elected yearly during our Annual General Meeting.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE TODS SOCIETY

ANY dentist, who holds a current license, is in good standing with the BC College of Oral Health Professionals, and practices dentistry within the regions encompassed by the Society, is an active member of the Thompson Okanagan Dental Society (TODS). There are NO annual membership dues. The Society is solely funded by the proceeds of the Thompson Okanagan Dental Meeting. Since 1978, the non-profit TODS Meeting has provided dental professionals with quality dental continuing education and supported the future of the profession with bursaries and scholarships.

Since 2005, the society annual fund raiser has raised over $224,000 to support important charities such as the BC Dental Association’s Save a Smile Foundation, Okanagan College Certified Dental Assisting Program, Southern Interior Cancer Centre Dental Comfort Fund, Rotaplast Canada and the five Community Dental Clinics in Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm. To continue the philanthropic vision of the TODS Executive, a TODS Endowment Fund was created in 2016, under the umbrella of the Central Okanagan Foundation. This will allow the distribution of funds to many more dental related charitable needs throughout the Thompson Okanagan region.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting for the Thompson Okanagan Dental Society will be held in-person at the 2025 TODS Meeting on Saturday October 25 at 12:30pm.  All Thompson Okanagan dentists are cordially invited to attend the luncheon meeting.  Following the conclusion of the very short AGM, representatives from the BCDA will discuss the pressing issues at the forefront of dentistry in BC and Canada.

This presentation will explore the confluence of challenges and opportunities facing dentistry, including updates on the evolving oral health regulatory landscape in our province and the impacts of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). This engaging event will provide invaluable insights, informed perspectives, and elevate your understanding of the rapidly changing dental landscape.

A $5,000 scholarship is made available by TODS to an undergraduate student in dentistry who originates from the Thompson Okanagan region.  We congratulate this year’s winner – Laura Shouldice of Princeton. (Photo: Laura Shouldice)

Two $500 bursaries were presented by TODS Executive Director, Dr. Jillian Belbin,  to two dental assisting students from the Okanagan College Dental Assisting Program.  This year, we congratulate Zoe Jelasco of Vernon and Kaylee Levesque from Summerland. (Photo: L to R: Kaylee Levesque, Dr. Jillian Belbin, TODS Executive Director, Zoe Jelasco)