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Local Group Urges Voters to Make Dental Care a Provincial Election Issue

Local oral health advocates are urging voters to use the ballot box to find a cure for a dental problem that affects millions of Ontarians every year.

TheĀ Ontario Oral Health Alliance, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock Chapter, is highlighting a critical gap in the provincial health care system that sees an estimated three million people in Ontario per year not visiting a dental office because they canā€™t afford to pay for care. April isĀ Oral Health Month, and with the provincial election campaign only weeks away, the Ontario Oral Health Alliance (OOHA) is launching itsĀ Time to Fill the Gap in Dental CareĀ advocacy campaign.

The campaign highlights the need for more equitable access to dental care for everyone, while promoting the fact some people cannot afford to go see a dentist. It also encourages voters to ask their local candidates what they and their party will do to fill the gap in access to dental care.

ā€œCOVID-19 has made the gap in access to dental care even worse, as people have lost jobs and health benefits,ā€ says Anna Rusak, a member of the local OOHA chapter, and a Health Promoter with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. ā€œItā€™s time to fill the gap in dental care. No one should have to suffer with dental pain and infection because they canā€™t afford to see a dentist. This is preventive medicine, and like other health care in Ontario, should be accessible to all!ā€

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Currently, there areĀ dental support programs in OntarioĀ that help offset the costs of oral care for eligible low-income youth ages 17 years and under and seniors ages 65 and older. However, there is no similar program for low-income adults ages 18-64. While itā€™s great to see the federal government committing to create a national dental program to further offset the costs of oral care for more low-income people, Rusak says now is the time to fill the gap.

ā€œNo more band-aids, we need immediate action,ā€ Rusak notes. ā€œThere are many in the 18-64 age category who face financial barriers to getting dental care. We ask the Ontario government to extend public dental programs to low-income adults immediately, to cover the basic costs of prevention, treatment, and emergency dental care.ā€

There is a payoff to doing this, she adds. Many people go to doctorsā€™ offices or hospital emergency departments to get help dealing with pain from dental problems, but they cannot get oral treatment there. According to OOHA, this costs at least $38 million annually in avoidable health care costs for problems that could be treated by a dental professional.

Locally, theĀ Community Care ā€“ Dental CareĀ in the City of Kawartha Lakes andĀ Volunteer Dental Outreach for Haliburton CountyĀ may be able to assist people who face financial hardships paying for dental care get the support and treatment services they need.Ā ā€œItā€™s great we have these valuable programs in our community, but even they are limited in who and how many people they can assist,ā€ Rusak adds.

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