The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP) officially launched in January 2020. With the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of the dental clinic, 2021 was the first full year of operation for the program. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has welcomed 870 seniors to its client roster since 2020. In 2021, 398 new patient exams were completed, giving an average of 1.6 new patients per day.
The WECHU recruited two full time dentists to its team and expanded hours in the Windsor office to meet additional demand for services with the addition of the OSDCP. Due to the complex health needs of OSDCP clients and limited access to oral health care, each client requires a number of appointments with the dentist to complete their initial treatment. Once treatment is complete, clients receive continual maintenance. Over 2021, the WECHU dental team provided 3,349 appointments to OSDCP clients for multiples services including dental exams, restorations, extractions, root canal therapy, periodontal maintenance, and denture treatment. In 2021, 117 new dentures were provided for OSDCP clients.
The dental team also continues to offer services to children and youth (ages 0-17) through the publicly funded Healthy Smiles Ontario Program (HSO). The Windsor dental clinic operates Monday through Friday from 8:30am until 8:00pm and the Leamington clinic operates Monday through Friday from 8:30am until 4:30pm. The WECHU has also partnered with WE Speak to provide professional language interpretation services for our dental clients, offering services in more than 300 languages through in-person, phone, and video interpretation.
Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program
- 870 seniors added to client roster between 2020 and 2021
- 398 new patient exams
- 3,349 appointments to ODSCP clients for multiple services
Restorations: 1,317
Extractions: 581
Root Canal Therapy: 110
Emergency/Specific Exams: 270 - Offering services in more than 300 languages through in-person, phone, and video interpretation
Healthy Smiles Ontario
- From January 1st, 2021- December 31st, 2021 we saw 1,998 HSO clients.
- 4,015 appointments to HSO clients for multiple services.