October 2010 - Constituent Society and Partnership Corner

Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry (OAPHD)

It’s been a busy and exciting time for public health dentistry in Ontario.

Last October, Phase 2 of Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, to provide $45 million dollars a year towards providing low-income families with greater access to dental services, was announced. Health units were provided with an opportunity from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) to put forth proposals for one-time capital funding and operational costs for a preventive and basic dental care program for children and youth. Since then, public health dental professionals from each of the 36 public health units have worked collaboratively with key stakeholders, including Community Health Centres, Family Health Teams, private practice dental professionals, and government officials to plan the local details of this program.

Now, one year later, the new Healthy Smiles Ontario Program (HSO), formally known as Low-Income Dental Program (LIDP), has officially been launched. HSO is for children and youth 17 and under who do not have access to any form of dental coverage and are members of a household with an Adjusted Family Net Income of $20,000 per year and below.

At this time, public health units are preparing to implement HSO in their communities by hiring and training staff and working on finalizing service agreements with local partners. Each health unit submitted and was approved for proposals unique to the needs of their community. For this reason, HSO infrastructure and staffing will differ slightly in each area.

The OAPHD feels positive about the new initiative and is especially pleased with the chance to offer preventive dental services, which will ultimately improve the oral health and overall health of the most vulnerable children and youth in Ontario.