Ontario's NDP leader says residents should have no trouble getting dental care if her party forms the next government.
Andrea Horwath has provided the specifics of the party's Dental Care For Everyone plan, which she says will ensure all Ontarians have an affordable way to see a dentist if they need it.
Speaking to reporters during a conference call Monday afternoon, Horwath said for many Ontarians, even primary dental care such as cleanings can be hard to come by, and access to care for dealing with painful dental problems can be limited.
"Every three minutes, someone is accessing either a family doctor or an emergency room to try to deal with pain in their mouth," said Horwath. "This is a big problem, and our plan solves it."
The plan, which Horwath says would be fully implemented by 2020 if the NDP wins the June provincial election, would be a $1.2-billion investment. She says the majority of that sum would cover low-income workers who don't have a dental plan, and the rest for senior citizens or people on social assistance.
The NDP leader says in addition to those on social assistance or senior citizens, those who have left the workforce and are self-employed would be covered.
"Folks who are not working at traditional work anymore, that segment of the workforce is growing," says Horwath. "We really need to design a plan to take care of those folks as well."
About two-thirds of Ontario's workforce has dental coverage already through employers, and Horwath says that coverage will not be affected. She adds that smaller "mom-and-pop" businesses that might not offer a dental plan due to expense would be able to.
In addition to expanding dental coverage, Horwath says the province would set up dental theatres at community health and aboriginal health centres across Ontario. The province would also send several mobile dentist's offices into small towns and remote areas where a dentist isn't available.