December 01, 2004

Increased funding for pediatric dental surgeries in Winnipeg and the expansion of pediatric dental surgery to Beausejour will help reduce wait times for the procedure, Health Minister Tim Sale announced today.

"Early childhood tooth decay is a serious problem and this expansion of the dental surgery program will help us meet the needs of Manitoba children," said Sale. "In the case of Beausejour, it will allow children to receive their treatment closer to home, provide services in a local facility and cut down on unnecessary travel time."

The province will provide yearly funding for an extra 600 dental surgeries that will be performed at Misericordia Health Centre.

"The extra 600 cases that will be undertaken should result in a significant cut to the province’s pediatric dental wait-list," said Jan Currie, vice-president and chief nursing officer for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. "By expanding access to pediatric dental services we are helping to meet the dental needs of many children across Manitoba."

The expansion of the program to Beausejour in the North Eastman Regional Health Authority will provide up to 100 treatments each year. Sale noted that as children in North Eastman and surrounding communities receive their surgery in Beausejour, pressures on Winnipeg operating rooms will be reduced and wait times for patients will improve.

In 2002, the Burntwood Regional Health Authority began offering pediatric dental surgery in Thompson, serving the needs of more than 300 children from northern Manitoba annually.

"Tooth decay is preventable," said Sale. "Manitoba Health will continue to work with stakeholders in the dental health field on preventative and health promotion strategies in order to reduce the need for dental surgery for Manitoba children."

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