Ontario, Canada, is expanding its Children in Need of Treatment (CINOT) program to provide urgent and essential dental care free to more children in low-income families, according to a press release.
The program currently provides emergency dental care to low-income children from birth to age 13. As of January 1, 2009, the program will be expanded to reach children up to age 18. It will also provide out-of-hospital anesthetic coverage for children age 5 to 17.
The Ontario government is working to build additional community capacity and expand prevention and treatment services for low-income Ontarians, especially children. Services will be rolling out across the province over the next two years.
The government's total investment in low-income dental services will be $45 million annually when fully implemented, according to the press release.
The CINOT program provides services and treatments for children whose parents/caregivers have no dental coverage and cannot afford the cost of urgent dental care. The program includes dental care services such as fillings, scaling, extractions and sedation, and preventative care. In 2007, the program paid for 30,890 courses of treatment for children with identified dental needs.
