ObjectivesThis study aimed to understand the perspectives of dentists towards the Montreal‐Toulouse model, an innovative approach that encompasses person‐centredness and social dentistry. This model invites dentists to take three types of actions (understanding, decision‐making, intervening) on three overlapping levels (individual, community, societal). This study aimed to understand (a) How dentists perceived the Montreal‐Toulouse model as a framework for the practice of dentistry and (b) What parts of this model they were ready to adopt in their own practice.MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was conducted based on semi‐structured interviews with a sample of dentists in the Province of Quebec, Canada. A combination of maximum variation and snowball sampling strategies was employed and 14 information‐rich participants were recruited. The interviews were conducted and audio‐recorded through Zoom and lasted approximately 1 h and a half. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed through a combination of inductive and deductive coding.ResultsThe participants explained they valued person‐centred care and tried to put the individual level of the Montreal‐Toulouse model into practice. However, they expressed little interest in the social dentistry aspects of the model. They acknowledged not knowing how to organize and conduct upstream interventions and were not comfortable with social and political activism. According to them, advocating for better health‐related policies, while a noble act, ‘was not their job’. They also highlighted the structural challenges that dentists face in fostering biopsychosocial approaches such as the Montreal‐Toulouse model.ConclusionsTo promote the Montreal‐Toulouse model and empower dentists to address social determinants of health, an educational and organizational ‘paradigm shift’ towards social accountability might be necessary. Such a shift requires curricular modifications and reconsidering traditional teaching approaches in dental schools. Moreover, dentistry's professional organization could facilitate dentists' upstream actions through proper resource allocation and openness to collaboration with them.

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The purpose of this study was to describe the social isolation of older adults in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood (Montreal, Canada) from the perspectives of older adults and community stakeholders. To do so, a descriptive qualitative study was conducted, involving community-dwelling older adults and a variety of key stakeholders from the neighbourhood. Seven focus groups were held, with a total of 37 participants. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using the approach of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. Participants reported that social isolation of older adults is characterized by gaps in social interactions (scarcity of social interactions, lack of social support, and unsatisfying relationships) as well as by low social participation that can be depicted in three ways: (1) exclusion by society, (2) self-restriction of participation, and (3) low eagerness to socialize. This study highlights that there is a diversity in how social isolation of older adults manifests itself. It can be the result of a deliberate choice (or not), as well as being desired (or not). These aspects of the phenomenon of social isolation of older adults are still not well described. However, they offer relevant avenues for rethinking approaches to intervention development.