August 2011 - Constituent Society and Partnership Corner

Oral health activities contribute to making Ontario the Healthiest Province

The Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry (OAPHD) has been contributing toward making Ontario the healthiest province through advocacy, collaboration, and education.

OAPHD has long advocated for improved access to dental care for all Ontarians. The recent launch of the Healthy Smiles Ontario (HSO) program, funded through the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care (MOHLTC), created the opportunity for 130,000 children and youth to access no-cost preventive and early treatment services.

Children and youth may be eligible for HSO if they meet all of the following criteria:

    1. 17 years old or younger
    2. resident of Ontario
    3. member of a household with an Adjusted Family Net Income of $20,000/year or below
    4. do not have access to any form of dental coverage (including other government-funded programs, such as Ontario Works).

OAPHD commends the Government of Ontario’s efforts in addressing poverty in Ontario through the implementation of the HSO dental program, which will reduce barriers to oral health care among vulnerable child and youth populations. Despite the support across Ontario for the HSO dental program, several opportunities for change have been identified that will enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of the program. OAPHD has been advocating for these changes, most notably increasing the financial cut-off level for eligibility and extending HSO eligibility to low-income families with some dental insurance. Most recently a letter was submitted to the Honourable Minister Deb Matthews (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care) outlining possible program revisions. OAPHD is enthusiastic about opportunities this new and innovative program will present to those in need of oral care and looks forward to seeing the HSO program evolve and expand.

OAPHD is also contributing to making Ontario a healthier place by fostering collaboration between public health units. OAPHD strives to educate the public about the importance of oral health and increase public awareness about the linkages between oral health and overall health. By educating young children and youth about the importance of daily brushing and flossing, and providing them with a better understanding of oral health and the processes that lead to dental decay, they will be able to better care for their oral health as they age and continue to develop. As such, OAPHD supported the collaborative work of several public health units with the development of oral health teaching modules for Grades 1 through 8 to support teachers as they instruct their students about oral health. These oral health education modules align with the new Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education (2009). All oral health education modules can be viewed or downloaded for free from the OAPHD website under the Teacher’s Research Area.

Through supporting education and the acquisition and dissemination of dental knowledge, skills and capabilities within public health dentistry, OAPHD is further helping to enhance health across Ontario. On June 9, 2011, OAPHD coordinated a provincial Oral Health Information Support System (OHISS) Learning Session. OHISS is a web based application which will support the administration of all of the provincially mandated public health dental programs. Recently OHISS was updated to support a mobile edition that will allow public health oral health professionals to complete data entry in the field (e.g., school screening findings). OHISS Mobile will enhance the effectiveness of the software and facilitate the important work being completed by public health oral health professionals across Ontario. The OPAHD learning session provided an overview of the OHISS operating system and software enhancements to the 32 public health units that were able to participate.

Recognizing Dr. Bill Ryding

OAPHD continues to make important contributions to public health in Ontario. One notable Executive Member of OAPHD, Dr. Bill Ryding, has made a tremendous contribution to public health over the course of his career. In June 2011, Bill retired as the Director of Oral Health at Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Hastings & Prince Edward Counties Health Unit -- organizations that he joined in 1995.

With a career spanning more than 40 years in dentistry, half of which were spent in public health in Ontario, Bill made many contributions at the local and provincial level. A strong advocate of water fluoridation and universal access for dental care for all in Ontario, he participated on many provincial working groups and committees that left an indelible mark in helping to promote the needs of the public and values of dental public health. Over the past 20 years, Bill was also active on several associations. He served as President and Treasurer of OAPHD and from 1996 to 2002 he was OAPHD’s representative on the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) Board of Directors. Bill was also a member of the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry (CAPHD). Beginning in 2006, Bill became Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto.

Dr. Ryding was recently awarded the alPHa Distinguished Service Award (DSA). The DSA reflects alPHa’s commitment to increasing public recognition of the significant contributions made to public health in Ontario by Board of Health members, health unit staff, and public health professionals. The DSA is given to recipients who have demonstrated exceptional qualities of leadership in their own milieu, achieved tangible results through long service or devotion to public health at local and provincial levels.

OAPHD is proud to acknowledge the commitments and contributions that Bill has made throughout his career in public health dentistry. Congratulations, good luck, and thank-you for all that have you have done Dr. Ryding!