DT News - Canada - Experts call for changes in oral health care for Canadian children

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 13 February 2013

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OTTAWA, Canada: Members of the Canadian Paediatric Society have stated that access to dental care must be improved for Canadian children. Although several initiatives have been launched in the last decade, they found that children still have a high rate of dental disease, particularly those of lower socio-economic status, in Aboriginal communities and from new immigrant families.

According to the members' statement, about 57 percent of Canadian children aged 6 to 11 have cavities. Dental surgery related to early childhood caries is the most common surgical procedure in this age group at most pediatric and community hospitals in the country. Although preventive dental visits could improve oral health and reduce consequential cost, most publicly funded dental programs for children tend to focus on treatment-based care as opposed to preventive care, the authors said.

Historically, dental care has not been considered an integral part of health care and Canadians are largely responsible for financing their own dental care, which is particularly challenging for low-income families, the authors explained. As almost 50 percent of people in low-income families do not have dental insurance, this population has the least access to dental care but bears the greatest burden of untreated diseases.

"In addition, provincial and territorial programs for coverage for children's oral health care are incredibly varied," said Dr. Anne Rowan-Legg, lead author of the document. For instance, in Alberta and British Columbia children from low-income families are eligible for basic dental coverage up to age 18, while in Nova Scotia similar coverage ends at age 10, she said.

With regard to Aboriginal children, the authors found substantially higher prevalence of caries in this group compared with the general pediatric population. They found that up to 90 percent of Aboriginal children have early childhood caries. Similar results were observed in immigrant children, whose access to adequate dental care is often affected by language and cultural barriers and a lack of financial resources.

The authors concluded that primary care providers may play a key role in improving pediatric oral care in Canada, as children visit the family physician much earlier than the dentist. "Pediatricians are ideally positioned to advocate for programs and services to reduce disparities and promote better oral health," they said. However, a recent survey found that one-quarter of pediatricians and family physicians reported that they had received virtually no oral health training in medical school.

The authors recommend the implementation of new oral health strategies by provincial and territorial governments to ensure that all children have access to quality dental care.

Data for the document was obtained from various studies conducted on pediatric dental health care in Canada. The document, titled "Oral Health Care for Children — A Call for Action," was published in the January issue of the Paediatric and Child Health journal.

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