Oral health and the aboriginal child: a forum for community members, researchers and policy-makers.

The Oral Health and the Aboriginal Child forum was held June 7–8, 2007, at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The focus of this event was the oral health of young Aboriginal Canadians. While most Canadian children experience little or no dental caries during early childhood, a shocking number of children still suffer extensive tooth decay. This disparity is most apparent in Aboriginal children from both urban and remote First Nations and Inuit communities where the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) is high.1–6 Forty-two community members, researchers and policy-makers from across Canada attended this invitation-only workshop to develop and improve national collaborations among child oral health and health researchers, Aboriginal communities and oral health policy decision-makers. The event was supported by a number of organizations, universities and companies including 3 institutes of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), namely the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, and the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health.