NUPGE's dental health prescription for shortening wait times

'It just makes good sense. Our mouths are part of our bodies – our health care system should take that into consideration.'

Ottawa (11 June 2008) - The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has released a new educational tool calling for expanded funding and support for dental health care as a way to address Canada's wait time problems and improve the health of millions of Canadians.

More public investment in dental care and oral health promotion is step #5 in the union's ongoing Top Priority: Short wait times series.

"Inadequate oral health care means that some people end up requiring acute care or making more visits to a family physician for what could be entirely preventable conditions had they been to visit a dental health professional," the pamphlet argues. "It just makes good sense. Our mouths are part of our bodies - our health care system should take that into consideration."

The pamphlet is part of NUPGE's 10-step plan for improving and expanding public health care services as a way to return to short wait times and improving the health outcomes for Canadians. Underlying it is the principle that Canada need not turn to the private sector for the solutions. In fact, doing so would undermine and eventually destroy the public medicare system.

Many of the 10 proposals for health care renewal are considered steps to bring new thinking and knowledge into the system – new thinking, new research, new practices introduced into a system that already performs well. If these proposals were acted upon Canadians would see wait times significantly reduced and the health care system put on a more sustainable path.

NUPGE encourages union members and the general public to use the series of pamphlets to inform family members, neighbours and friends of the next steps in the evolution of Canada's successful but unfinished Medicare system.

"Justice Emmet Hall, whose 1964 royal commission laid the groundwork for Canada's national public health insurance scheme, strongly felt that dental care should be part of our Medicare system. More than 30 years later it is time to make Emmett Hall's vision a reality." NUPGE