The Quebec Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé has announced $407,203 in funding for a pilot project to promote access to oral health care services for the Outaouais’ low income population.

The aim of the pilot project is to improve access to . . .

front-line preventative and curative dental care by developing dentistry in the health care system and to help set up service corridors with teams of dentists, dental hygienists, assistants and secretaries.

The grant will also include $121,754 for the purchase of equipment and an added $30,000 allocation for manufacturing dentures.

These services will be implemented by the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) who will also handle the implementation as well the recruitment and remuneration of staff members.

As a pilot project, it will service approximately 22,000 below the low-income benchmark as well as people who live in remote areas.

The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux will assume the starting cost equal to $3 million (for the first year).

In a press release, Dubé was quoted as follows, “Our overall objective, with these dental clinic pilot projects, is to provide better access to these services, in the interests of equity and solidarity for all, throughout Quebec. The establishment of this clinic in the Outaouais will better support vulnerable people in the region, and I am delighted with this first step towards a more complete integration of dental services into our public network.”

A first phase, the Clinique dentaire communautaire de l’Outaouais and the following four dental clinics for low income or remote people who will be supported are:

The Sainte-Anne-des-Monts clinic, of the CISSS de la Gaspésie;

Dentaville, at the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) of Montreal Island South;

The Jim LundDental Clinic, located at Welcome Hall Mission, McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry;

The Asbestos Community Clinic, Estrie CIUSSS – Sherbrooke University Hospital Centre

Once these new models aiming to organize oral health services to reduce social inequalities in dental health meet the needs of the targeted group of people, a second phase might be considered, depending on the results of these first pilot projects.

If it does warrant a second phase, the Quebec government estimates it would allow for approximately 600,000 people (7 percent of the Quebec population) who meet the criteria in order to benefit from this service. It could also lead to the expansion of services being offered and the eligibility of its clientele.

These would be added to services that are currently available in Quebec to children nine and under, social assistance beneficiaries, residents of public and private CHSLDs under agreement and students who benefit from preventive services.

“Everyone needs better access to quality oral health care. This is great news for our community,” said Dubé in a press release.

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