Healthy Smiles Ontario Dental Services
Public Health delivers the Healthy Smiles Ontario program. Healthy Smiles is a government-funded dental program that provides free preventive, routine, and emergency dental services for children and youth, 17 years of age and under, from low-income households.
Information, including how to apply or re-apply to the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program, is available at ontario.ca/healthysmiles. For more information, or for assistance in completing the application form, call our Oral Health Program at 613-966-5500 or 1-800-267-2803, ext. 680.
IMPORTANT – At this time, there will be no change to eligibility for the Healthy Smiles Ontario program as a result of the recently launched Canada Dental Benefit. Healthy Smiles Ontario clients may continue to use their Healthy Smiles Ontario Dental Card to access Healthy Smiles Ontario services free of charge. For more information about the Canada Dental Benefit, visit canada.ca.
Oral Health Clinics
Preventive Dental Clinics are offered at Hastings Prince Edward Public Health offices for children and teens, 17 years of age and under, to help keep their teeth healthy. Clinics are held throughout Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, and are by appointment only.
We offer a variety of preventive services for eligible children age 17 and under. These include:
- Oral health instruction (tips for keeping a healthy mouth and a healthy smile)
- Scaling (professional cleaning that removes hard deposits and stains)
- Topical fluoride (strengthens teeth and helps prevent cavities)
- Interim stabilization therapy (a temporary restoration procedure)
- Sealants (protective coatings for the teeth to help prevent cavities)
Oral Health School Screening
Each school year, our Oral Health Team visits all elementary schools in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties to screen students in certain grades. Our team does a visual check of the child’s mouth to identify, and follow-up with, children who have obvious dental needs. These screenings do not substitute a child’s regular visit to the dentist.
Each student screened will bring home a Dental Report Card containing the results of this visual screening, along with information for those families who may be eligible for no-cost oral health services.
If your child missed their screening at school, you can arrange to have a screening done at one of our clinics. If you have questions about the Oral Health School Screening program, please call our Oral Health program at 613-966-5500 or 1-800-267-2803, ext. 680.
Fluoride Varnish Program
Fluoride is the single most effective tool we have to prevent dental cavities. Fluoride varnish is a protective coating that is painted onto the teeth and can help reduce tooth decay. This coating makes teeth stronger and helps prevent cavities from starting. The Fluoride Varnish Program is available to all children 0-5 years of age in Hastings and Prince Edward counties. Fluoride varnish can be applied as soon as the first baby teeth appear. For best results, we recommend the varnish be applied at least two times per year.
Fluoride varnish programs have been shown to effectively prevent early childhood caries. Research indicates that fluoride varnish can reduce the incidence of dental caries in children, particularly those at moderate to high risk, when applied two to four times annually. These programs are supported by numerous clinical trails and are recommended by health authorities such as the American Academy of Pediatric for integration into routine pediatric care to improve oral health outcomes in young children. See Role of fluoride varnish in preventing early childhood caries.
