It's great to see interest on the list-serve regarding oral health.
It's an important health issue that is often overlooked in health
promotion.
The Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry (OAPHD) has a Health
Promotion and Advocacy committee working at developing an advocacy
campaign around access to care issues and the face of dental disease in
Ontario.
We are in the very early stages of our advocacy work. To help identify
stakeholders, we want to find out if there are any organizations or
coalitions in Ontario that are engaged in advocating for access to
dental care for any population.
As a member of their committee, I would appreciate hearing from anyone
who has information about active groups (contact names and email
addresses would be appreciated), or your thoughts in general about this
important issue.
Thank you,
Inge Roosendaal, B.Sc., M.PL
Health Promotion Officer
Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Dental
Region of Peel Health
Tel: 905-791-7800, x2091
Fax: 905-458-5158
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Health Promotion on the Internet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Jenny La
Sent: March 30, 2004 7:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Poverty and Oral Health symposium and related articles
Thanks, Alison, for addressing this crucial topic of dental health.
I'm currently brainstorming on effective ways to promote oral health
with
children through the educational system and/or community centers to
prevent
dental problems with our future generations. Teach them at a young age.
From my survey of students and schools, I am shocked to learn that there
is
a lack of ongoing dental education for children and families!! I have
developed a dental program (called Healthy Habits For Kids) that I want
to
implement at schools and community centers.
If anyone is interested in helping me with implementing this initiative,
please contact me at: [log in to unmask] Thanks!
Cheers,
Jenny La:)
Coordinator
-----Original Message-----
From: Health Promotion on the Internet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf
Of Stirling, Alison
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 5:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Poverty and Oral Health symposium and related articles
An issue that rarely gets discussed by health promoters is dental health
and
the link to poverty and determinants of health. The last few days, this
issue seems to have come to the forefront with announcement of an
upcoming
symposium on the issue, and research articles about the situation in
Quebec
and in Ontario. Here's a compilation of these items for our
consideration
and discussion.
Symposium - Access and Care: Towards a National Oral Health Strategy
Toronto, Ontario, May 13-15, 2004
The Toronto Oral Health Coalition, George Brown College and University
of
Toronto have organized the first ever Symposium on Oral Health Policy,
to
take place in mid May.
This symposium is especially crucial and timely because:
* dentistry was excluded from consideration in the Future of Health Care
in
Canada (Romanow) Report;
* unlike most developed countries, Canada has no recent nation-wide
survey
of the oral-health status of its citizens;
* there is virtually no planning for future dental provider roles or
requirements;
* Canada has no national dental-care program for children and
expectant/new
mothers--similar programs are available even in many developing
countries;
* hospital-based dental clinics have been closed, having a severe impact
on
training and services;
* public programs for seniors and children have been cancelled;
* there are higher fees and, consequently, higher student debt for
training
in dentistry;
* there are extreme limits on dental coverage for those on welfare and
almost nothing for the working poor and seniors;
* Canada has income tax-free care for those with employer-paid dental
insurance; and
* most importantly, no-one has accepted the challenge of improving the
situation
For more information or to register on line visit
<http://www.utoronto.ca/dentistry/continuinged/contedcourselist.html>.
Just as the symposium was being announced in the OHPE Bulletin last
Friday,
an article on accessibility of dental services by poor people in Quebec,
was
being shared in another listserv. The original article is "Improving
dental
health for the poor" by Bronwyn Chester from the McGill Reporter March
11,
2004 v.36 #12<http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/12/bedos/>
This article focuses on the work of McGill Dentistry Professor
Christophe
Bedos on improving the dental health of those with limited access to
dentists. His interviews with Quebec welfare recipients (reported in
Social
Science & Medicine Apr 2003 http://tinyurl.com/2cy7b) showed that the
poor,
despite access to free basic dental care, were less likely to go to
dentists. Some of the barriers related to their relationship to
dentists,
the environment and the stigma of poverty. Dr. Bedos is turning his
attention to educating dentists and dental students on working with the
poor, and looking to changes in coverage to include most dental
services.
The McGill Faculty of Dentistry, which has several preventive and
treatment
programs aimed at those with little access to dentists, is [also]
organizing
a conference on poverty and dental health.
A year ago, the Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin (OHPE) carried an
article about the Toronto Oral Health Coalition and the efforts of the
Hamilton District Health Council on accessibility to oral health
services in
May 2003 in issue #310. You can see it at:
http://www.ohpe.ca/ebulletin/ViewFeatures.cfm?ISSUE_ID=310&ROWNUMBER=31
Check it out and learn more about the issues and the people who are
involved.
Alison
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Alison Stirling, health promotion consultant
Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse (OPC)
Suite 1900, 180 Dundas St. W. Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8
Tel. 416-408-2249 or 1-800-263-2846 x226
Fax. 416-408-2122 Email: [log in to unmask]
Internet: http://www.opc.on.ca
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
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