The government of Saskatchewan in Canada is taking steps to improve children's oral health by increasing access to dental care, particularly preventive services for children at risk.
Enhancements to regional preventive dental health services, for pre- and postnatal mothers, preschool and school-age children, are rolling out across the province starting this fall, officials announced.
The program will initially be implemented in schools in those regions with the highest need. These include Athabasca, Keewatin Yatthé, Mamawetan Churchill River, Prince Albert/Parkland, Prairie North, Regina Qu'Appelle, and Saskatoon Health Regions. The initiative will expand to the remaining health regions early in 2012.
"Oral disease is preventable, yet each year approximately 1,800 children under the age of 5 undergo dental surgery in hospital under general anesthetic," Health Minister Don McMorris stated in a press release. "We have committed funding of $1.4 million [Canadian], through the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative, to improve children's oral health and reduce the need for surgery by increasing access to dental care, prevention, and education."
The Enhanced Preventive Dental Services Initiative will focus on disease prevention and health promotion, and target early childhood tooth decay in at risk populations. The enhanced services will include oral health assessments, referral and follow-up, fluoride varnish, and dental sealants.
"Research clearly shows that the burden of dental caries is shouldered by small segments of our population who face a variety of access-to-care barriers placing them at high risk for disease," University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry Dean Gerry Uswak, DMD, MPH, said. "We need to work collaboratively to ensure that everyone who chooses to seek care can access it. We need to screen for people at high risk for disease and use proven preventive agents such as fluorides and dental sealants to protect their teeth. We also need to focus our attention on raising the 'dental IQ' of high-risk populations so that they recognize how important oral health is and become active participants in choosing to achieve it."
Oral health assessments will be provided to all preschool children in the province. Children from 6 months of age to 5 years, who are at risk of early childhood tooth decay, will be provided two fluoride varnish applications a year. Dental sealants will be offered to students attending schools with populations at risk in a phased-in approach. Enhanced dental services will include consultations with pre- and postnatal mothers to promote good oral health and ensure a healthy pregnancy and healthy development of their baby's teeth.
