CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 5

CDA at W ork 10 | 2018 | Issue 5 This year, the main issues brought forward by the CDA delegation were: ❙  a better approach to publicly funded dental care programs ❙  improving Indigenous children’s oral health by expanding the Children’s Oral Health Initiative (COHI) program ❙  improving the oral health component of future versions of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) “Days on the Hill is the premier advocacy event where dentistry has the opportunity to inform MPs and senators about important issues for the dental profession,” says Dr. Taillon. “This year’s three issues linked well together, as they all focused on the public good.” Growing need to fund programs Although most Canadians are well served by the current oral health care system, those in vulnerable segments of the population, such as seniors, low-income Canadians, children, and people with special health care needs, still face challenges in accessing dental care. Many public programs targeted to provide oral health for such groups are in place, but many are not properly funded. In recent months, two of the major political parties in Ontario made publicly funded dental care a top issue in their campaigns. But before any of these new systems are considered, CDA urged MPs to increase investment in the existing or lapsed targeted oral health programs administered by the provinces, in order to provide better care to those who need it the most. Addressing Indigenous children’s oral health CDA’s Advocacy Committee highlighted the importance of COHI, a program funded by the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) and the Department of Indigenous Services Canada. COHI provides preventative oral health care to over 320 First Nations communities across the country. Indigenous children have much higher rates of dental disease than most Canadians, so expanding the COHI program to more First Nations and Inuit communities would help address these health disparities. InMay, CDA held its annual Days on the Hill event. Over two days and more than 30 meetings, members of CDA’s delegation, led by CDA president Dr. Mitch Taillon, met with members of parliament (MPs), senators and other senior government officials on Parliament Hill to press for changes that would help improve the oral health of Canadians. CDA Days on the Hill Profession Calls for Adequate Funding for Existing Programs Learn more about this year’s Days on the Hill at oasisdiscussions.ca/ 2018/06/05/ cda-days-on-the-hill-2018/