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Constituent Society Corner |
OAPHD Welcomes Dental Help for Low-Income Ontarians
Members of the Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry (OAPHD) — dental assistants, dental educators, dental hygienists, clinical dentists, dental public health specialists and health promoters and others who work within the public health system in Ontario — have long recognized the need to improve access to dental care for low-income residents of Ontario and reacted enthusiastically to the provincial government's recent budget commitment to put $135 million over three years towards a dental program for low-income Ontarians.
Following the government's announcement, OAPHD struck an ad hoc committee to develop a proposal detailing how the funding could best be used to serve the greatest number of people. The committee presented this report during a stakeholder consultation with Minister George Smitherman in late December. More recently, in April 2008, OAPHD also took part in a meeting with the Minister of Social and Community Services. The following recommendations were included in the report:
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Provide a level of emergency care (e.g., pain relief, denture repair) to all low-income residents of Ontario;
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Leverage existing systems by building on infrastructure and harmonizing eligibility requirements for dental programs already in place (i.e., extend the Children In Need Of Treatment program up to age 17 — the same age coverage as for dependent children of Ontario Works);
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Focus attention on disease prevention and improving regular access to preventive services such as scaling, fissure sealants, topical fluorides, and oral hygiene instruction;
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Focus on strategic priority groups like pregnant women and women with children under two, youth and adults under 30, and seniors who fall below the low-income cut off;
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Consider a variety of care delivery models such as the use of salaried employees to run dental clinics, the use of denturists and dental hygienists to offer cost effective ways of delivering some services, and the establishment of partnerships and service-in-kind between agencies like Public Health Units and Community Health Centres.
Since the meetings, the Ontario government has announced its plan to extend the Children In Need Of Treatment program to include children up to age 17. In addition, the Federal Government recently downloaded three million dollars to Ontario Public Health Units for the purchase of new dental equipment. These steps forward illustrate a positive commitment to dental health. Nevertheless, with many more steps left to take in this endeavour, OAPHD will continue pushing forward with its advocacy efforts.
Considering that oral health affects overall health — healthy childhood development, one's ability to live pain-free, to gain viable employment, and enjoy a good quality of life — it is clear that improving access to dental care has to do with much more than just teeth. Furthermore, building a system that will provide equitable access to basic dental treatment and care for all low-income families, adults, and seniors will contribute significantly to the broader goal of reducing poverty in Ontario.
There are currently 11 Constituent Societies of OPHA. Their representatives sit on the OPHA Board of Directors, and are elected by their respective societies.
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