B.C. increasing dental surgeries in effort to cut wait times

B.C. increasing dental surgeries in effort to cut wait times
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Province announces 900 more dental surgeries will be performed in the next year, helping to reduce wait times for patients. Photo courtesy CBC.

Province announces 900 more dental surgeries will be performed in the next year, helping to reduce wait times for patients. Photo courtesy CBC.

The province says access to dental surgeries will be easier for patients who require a general anesthetic for procedures because of developmental disabilities or complex medical conditions.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announced hospitals are set to handle 900 more dental surgeries in the coming year, which the province says will significantly reduce wait times.

“We are answering a call from dentists, patients and parents to fix a growing waitlist and make sure that vulnerable people – who are not safely able to get dental care without anesthesia – have more timely access to dental treatment when they need it,” Dix said in a statement.

“I have heard from parents whose sons and daughters are suffering for long periods in pain, in some cases without any understanding of what is happening to them.”

The province says in 2016-17, 17.3 per cent of people waited more than 26 weeks for their dental surgery, but that number has come down to 15 per cent this year.

Island Health reports there is a longer than 26-week wait in 20.1 per cent of cases, the most of any region in the province.

Fraser Health is next at 14.8 per cent.

“Recognizing those with developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism, need more access for dental care that can better accommodate their physical needs is long overdue,” Inclusion B.C. Executive Director Faith Bodnar said.

“More dental surgeries in a timely manner is a step in the right direction.”

The province plans to work with the B.C. Dental Association for better wait-time guidelines and protocols.

“Dental disease does not resolve itself, which leaves patients in chronic pain. Many of these patients require medical support, such as access to an operating room, for the safe delivery of care,” B.C. Dental Association Executive Director Jocelyn Johnston said in a release.

“Improved access will allow these patients to resume life free from dental pain and infection.”

Andy NealAndy Neal

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