A campaign is underway in Northumberland County calling for the province of Ontario to provide financial help for people who can’t afford dental care.
The Northumberland Oral Health Coalition is highlighting what it calls a critical gap in Ontario’s health care system that sees an estimated three million people in Ontario per year not visiting a dental office because they can’t afford to pay for care.
The Time to Fill the Gap campaign highlights the need for more equitable access to dental care for everyone, while promoting the fact some people cannot afford to see a dentist.
The Time to Fill the Gap in Dental Care campaign encourages voters to ask candidates in the provincial election what they and their party will do to fill the gap in access to dental care.
Anna Rusak, a member of the Northumberland Oral Health Coalition, and a Health Promoter with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit says, “COVID-19 has made the gap in access to dental care even worse, as people have lost jobs and health benefits. It’s time to fill the gap in dental care. No one should have to suffer with dental pain and infection because they can’t afford to see a dentist. This is preventive medicine, and like other health care in Ontario, should be accessible to all.”
Currently, there are dental support programs in Ontario 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.
Rusak notes, “No more band-aids, we need immediate action,” Rusak notes. “There 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 dental care including prevention, treatment and emergency care.”
“There is a payoff to doing this,” she adds. “Many people go to doctors’ 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.”
