Legislative Electronic Publications -- Health Minister Announces New Initiatives To Reduce Tooth Decay, Lower Pediatric Dental Wait Times

Manitoba Government News Release:
Information Services, Room 29, Legislative Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0V8 Telephone: (204)
945-3746 Fax: (204) 945-3988

November 10, 2005

HEALTH MINISTER ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVES TO REDUCE TOOTH DECAY, LOWER PEDIATRIC DENTAL WAIT TIMES
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$1.2 million to Expand Healthy Smiles Program: Sale

A million-dollar strategy to address tooth decay and further reduce wait times for pediatric dental surgeries was announced by Health Minister Tim Sale today.

"Severe tooth decay is a critical problem for many Manitoba children. These latest initiatives build on our ongoing efforts to increase medical support to children in need of dental surgery," said Sale. "We’re also continuing to emphasize prevention in order to reduce the number of children requiring dental surgery."

Sale today announced more than $1.6 million from wait-time reduction funding for pediatric dental initiatives including:

$1.2 million over two years to expand the Healthy Smile – Happy Child Early Childhood Tooth Decay Prevention Project throughout the province.
$400,000 over the next three years to add 200 additional surgeries per year and improve operating room information systems in the Burntwood Regional Health Authority. The region has recruited a full-time anesthetist who will participate in the program.

"We know that people are waiting too long for pediatric dental surgery and that’s why it is one of Manitoba’s four wait-list priority areas," said Sale. "Repatriating surgeries from Winnipeg to regional communities is a key part of our strategy and waiting times are coming down. This strategy will build on this progress to bring wait times down further."

The current average wait time for pediatric dental surgery in the Winnipeg area is 5.4 months, down from nine months in 2004.

The Healthy Smile – Happy Child Early Childhood Tooth Decay Prevention Project focuses on teaching and educating young parents and mothers-to-be about the importance of proper nutrition and dental hygiene. This unique project focuses on reaching young children and their mothers in settings where they interact with service providers such as early childhood education facilities. Research shows the single most influential factor in achieving optimal oral health for children is the attitude and knowledge of parents.

Severe early childhood tooth decay is a preventable dental disease that affects children up to six years of age. This disease has a general prevalence of three to five per cent in the general population but is as high as 50 to 80 per cent in Aboriginal and First Nations children.

"We know parents have a lot to think about while raising a child," said Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald. "We want to give parents and families the support and information they need to make sure their children have healthy smiles."

Both ministers acknowledged the hard work, in-kind support and financial contributions of $225,000 from the supporters of the Healthy Smile – Happy Child Early Childhood Tooth Decay Prevention Project including the Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, the Winnipeg Foundation, Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, Healthy Child Manitoba, Manitoba Dental Association, Burntwood Regional Health Authority, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the University of Manitoba Centre for Community Oral Health.

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