Hamilton to get new Dental Health Bus
Published January 13, 2020 at 9:38 pm
Hamilton will soon have a new dental bus to service adults and seniors.
Hamilton will soon have a new dental bus to service adults and seniors.
At Monday’s (Jan. 13) Board of Health meeting, councillors approved a motion put forward by Councillor Tom Jackson to use approximately $550,000 towards the procurement of a new bus which would support the city’s Seniors Oral Health Program.
The program aims to provide dental health services to low-income seniors and adults.
There is currently one dental bus in operation in the city which runs five days a week. The bus, however, has been in service for a number of years and will soon need to be replaced.
Videos
The $550,000 for the new bus comes from the Province. In December 2016, the Ministry of Health approved up to $687,700 in one-time funding for a dental bus and dental clinics.
The City of Hamilton provides free emergency dental services by dentists. These services include:
- X-rays
- Dental fillings
- Uncomplicated extractions or removing teeth
- Antibiotics for dental infections
Back in October, the Board of Health was presented with a report that found a rising number of low-income seniors are turning to emergency rooms for dental care because they do not have insurance to cover the cost of regular visits to a dentist.
The report outlined how just 40 per cent of Hamilton’s low-income seniors’ population is able to access regular dental care and just 23.5 per cent of those have insurance.
According to the report, poor oral health is linked to heart disease, respiratory disease, malnutrition and can have an impact on one’s sense of well-being.
To learn more about Hamilton’s Dental Health Bus and Public Health’s dental health services, visit the City’s website here.
Photo courtesy City of Hamilton
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising