Whereas dental health is a critical component to health and a key indicator of healthy childhood development, while poor dental health contributes to speech impediments, lower nutritional absorption and growth development, pain, learning inequality, and other health and quality of life issues; And whereas dental care is not a universally accessible service in British Columbia for all residents of British Columbia, while the provincial government has made statements of their support for this resolution in the past: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Ministry of Health commit to add basic dental care to Medical Services Plan coverage as soon as possible.
Ministry of Health The BC Government does provide coverage for basic dental care for many low-income individuals through programs administered by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction SDPR. Through SDPR, routine dental care is covered for all eligible children up to 18 years of age and for all individuals with designated disabilities, regardless of age. The Ministry of Children and Family Development covers dental care for children in foster care. Through the Medical Services Plan MSP, the Ministry of Health covers surgical dental care, not including fillings or dentures, for anyone who, due to age or medical condition, requires procedures to be performed in a hospital. The Ministry of Health also provides annual funding to the BC Dental Association for administration of the Cleft Lip and Palate Prosthodontic Program, the Severe Facial Trauma and Congenital Dental Anomalies Program, and the Diagnostic Growth and Developmental Dental Conditions in Children and Cancer Patients Program. The Ministry of Health and SDPR jointly fund the Community Dental Partners Program CDPP. CDPP is a program administered by the BC Children and Womens Hospital that enables access to dental treatment under general anesthesia for children under nine years of age in the BC Healthy Kids program and for older children, including adults, with disabilities who require dental treatment under general anesthesia. The Province recognizes the publics desire to be able to access affordable dental care, and funding for the dental program will continue to be reviewed each year. As the Ministry of Health continues to work to address ongoing pressures on the healthcare budget, at the present time the Ministry is unable to expand dental coverage.