A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health is calling on the federal government to expand a program to prevent tooth decay in remote Inuit and First Nations communities.
The Children’s Oral Health Initiative (COHI) is a Health Canada program aimed at increasing access to preventive oral health services for Inuit and First Nations children up to eight years of age.
It’s currently offered in five communities across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut — where rates of tooth decay are more than double the national average.
“The program has been under constant pressure to get funding, so the first step was to see if it was effective,” said Kavita Mathu-Muju, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Dentistry, and one of the authors of the study.
To view the full story, please visit: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/children-s-oral-health-initiative-1.3737566
If you’re interested in getting involved with The Children’s Oral Health Initiative, please visit: http://www.fnha.ca/what-we-do/maternal-child-and-family-health/childrens-oral-health-initiative
