Smile With Dignity: dental care is a human right!

The state of oral health for the majority of working class and marginalized communities is in crisis. In Canada, 98% of the middle and upper classes have their natural teeth while 25% of the poor have no teeth at all. BC’s 2010 budget further cut access to dental care for people living on income assistance. Dental and oral health cannot be separated from our overall health, yet no one at the government level is talking about expanding health care services to include dental care. This situation has to change. We believe a person’s smile should not depend on how much money they make. We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge our leaders to act now to make access to dental care determined by need and not by ability to pay. We call on our provincial government to include basic dental services under our BC Medical Services Plan.