Publicly Funded Dental Services (Motion #59-14)

Approved October 16, 2014, Sudbury & District Board of Health.

Motion

WHEREAS income has a significant impact on the frequency of dental visits resulting in those living in poverty or low income households to visit the dentist less often or not at all; and

WHEREAS in the past school year, 1 in 3 elementary school age children, in the Sudbury & District, had received dental treatment or were in need of dental treatment ; and

WHEREAS a much lower percentage (45%) of low-income individuals living in Sudbury reported having dental insurance compared to middle/upper income individuals (72%); and

WHEREAS the proposed Integrated Dental program, to be launched by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term care in August 2015, will require families to meet a financial means test in order to qualify for services thereby preventing a large number of children, who currently receive services, from receiving care in the Sudbury & District Health Unit catchment; and

WHEREAS the current Children In Need of Treatment (CINOT), expanded CINOT and OPHS Preventive Services Protocol for preventive services consider dental need and financial hardship which allows a greater number of low income children to qualify for services;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of Health for the Sudbury & District Health Unit support the board correspondence related to oral health programing urging the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to:

Adequately fund the “emergency” program, that has been proposed by the Ministry, in order to meet the utilization rate of the current needs based treatment programs (CINOT and expanded CINOT) and ensure this program is based on comprehensive dental needs; and
Maintain clinical preventive oral health service in the Ontario Public Health Standards and appropriately fund these requirements.

This item was last modified on June 12, 2015