CANADIAN DENTAL HYGIENISTS ASSOCIATION

Support for community water fluoridation. SMALL BUSINESSES: Supports and opportunities to help small businesses including dental hygiene practice owners. SENIORS: Ensuring that all vulnerable seniors (including those living independently in their communities and those living in long-term care homes) have access to necessary and appropriate oral health care to age in wellness and with dignity. RADIATION PROTECTION: Radiation protection practices to support the safe use of radiation emitting devices in Canada, including dental x-ray equipment (radiation safety procedures, equipment performance, and radiation protection) Promote maintenance of existing tax exemption status for health and dental benefit premiums. OROFACIAL INJURIES IN SPORTS: Prevention of orofacial injury in sports, including by promoting properly fitted sports mouthguards as an essential piece of protective equipment in both practices and games, at the recreational and competitive level. NATIONAL ORAL HEATH RESEARCH STRATEGY: Addressing essential oral health and oral health care-related research questions, facilitate knowledge translation and further knowledge exchange (Canadian Institutes of Health Research). Financial support during the COVID-19 Pandemic to support dental hygienists. Access to PPE for dental hygienists. Federal government to continue to play a leadership role in working with provinces to implement national long-term care and home care guidelines for daily oral health care and regular professional preventive care. Discussion of items in pre-budget submission. DENTAL CARE FOR CANADIANS: Recommendations to support the delivery of the Canada Dental Benefit, Canada Dental Care Plan (Budget 2023), Oral Health Access Fund (Budget 2023), and Investments in Better Dental Care Data (Statistics Canada). Consultation on potential measures to regulate tobacco and cannibis packages and products. CANADIAN HEALTH MEASURES SURVEY: Ongoing collection of information from Canadians about their general health including oral health. POPULATION-LEVEL DATA: Increased collection, analysis and public reporting on national oral health/dental indicators and outcomes. CANADA’S HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE: Addressing Canada’s health workforce crisis, including but not limited to incentives and supports to increase recruitment and retention within the health workforce generally, and to address the rural and remote health workforce specifically. CANADA STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS: Expansion of the current list of eligible professionals for student loan forgiveness to help bring more dental hygienists to work in under-served rural and remote communities that lack the primary health care they need. ACCES TO ORAL HEALTH CARE: Improved access to preventive oral health care services for millions of vulnerable people across Canada (emphasis on children, seniors aging in communities and in long-term care, people with disabilities, rural and remote communities, Indigenous communities, low-income households).

Ensuring future funding for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)

Promoting access to preventive oral health care for Canada's seniors, including but not limited to those living in long-term care facilities, First Nations and Inuit people, Northern Canadians, and other vulnerable populations.