Dental health concerns have cost health services in the Central East LHIN nearly $3 million. According to a report from the Ontario Oral Health Alliance, in 2015 over 5,700 patients visited hospitals from Haliburton to Scarborough with concerns over things like tooth aches, abscesses and other oral health worries.
The OOHA claims these visits are due to the high cost of dental care in Ontario, forcing these people to find a free alternative. However, the organization says since each visit to the ER costs a minimum of $533, the cost has been put back on the province. The report also shows in 2014Â patients visited family doctors for similar concerns over 25,000 times which is costing another $860,000.
About $38 million was spent province-wide on these visits in 2015 and the OOHA says this money should be put toward providing dental treatment for low income families instead.