TABLE 1.

Provincial/territorial publicly funded dental programs for children

Province/territory	Program	Eligibility	Services covered
British Columbia	Healthy Kids	Children and youth zero – 19 years of age from low-income families in receipt of premium assistance through Medical Services Plan	– $1,400/two years of basic dental services. – $1,000/year toward general anesthesia fees (hospital or private facility) – Emergency treatment for pain relief (beyond $1,400 limit) – No orthodontic
	Dental Benefits Program for Children and Youth in Foster Care	Children and youth in foster care covered up to $700/year	– Basic, emergency and orthodontic care
Alberta	Alberta Child Health Benefit	Children and youth zero – 18 years of age from low-income families	Basic coverage: dental exams, cleaning, X-rays, fillings and extractions
	Family Support for Children with Disabilities	Children and youth zero – 18 years of age with a disability	Basic dental treatment, with some orthodontic care (directly related to child’s disability and approved by a dental review committee) – Covers portion of costs exceeding that covered by guardian’s dental insurance plan OR if guardian does not have dental insurance, costs exceeding $250 annually
	Foster Care	Children and youth zero – 18 years of age in foster care	Basic coverage: dental exams, cleaning, X-rays, fillings and extractions
	Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH)	Children of parents with a disability who are unable to work	Basic coverage: dental exams, cleaning, X-rays, fillings and extractions
Saskatchewan	Family Health Benefits	Children zero – 18 years of age from low-income families	Basic coverage
	Supplementary Health Program	Foster children	Diagnostic, preventive, restorative, oral surgery
	Public Health Services Dental Clinic (Saskatoon Health Region)	Children zero – 16 years of age who have limited or no dental coverage	Preventive and treatment services
Manitoba	Health Services Dental Program	Children <18 years of age who have a disability or are wards of the state covered up to $500/year	Basic diagnostic, preventive, restorative, endodontic, periodontal, prosthodontic, oral surgery services
	SMILE plus program (Winnipeg Regional Health Authority)	At-risk children in the Winnipeg region	Preventive and basic treatment services
	Healthy Smile Happy Child intersectoral partnership	At-risk infants and preschool children and their families	Oral health promotion using community development approaches
	Free First Visit Program (Manitoba Dental Association)	Children <36 months of age	Early dental screenings
Ontario	Healthy Smiles	Children and youth <18 years of age are eligible if their family’s net income is <$20,000/year – No other dental care access	Preventive and basic treatment services
	Ontario Disability Support Program (Dental Special Care Plan)	Dependent children and youth (<18 years of age) who live with a disabled parent	Basic diagnostic, preventive, restorative, endodontic, periodontal, prosthodontic, oral surgery services – General anesthesia and sedation
	Assistance for Severely Disabled Children (ASDC)	Children and youth (<18 years of age) living at home in a low-income family – Child must have a severe disability	Basic diagnostic, preventive, restorative, endodontic, periodontal, prosthodontic, oral surgery services
	Children in Need of Treatment (CINOT)	Children and youth (<18 years of age) requiring emergency or essential dental care – Parents have no dental insurance OR cost of treatment would result in ‘financial hardship’ (no income verification)	– Includes diagnostic, preventive, restorative, prosthodontic, endodontic, oral surgery, and pays for adjunct services such as general anaesthesia and conscious sedation – Intended for one-time coverage; no ongoing care
Quebec	Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec: Children’s Dental Care Program	All children <10 years of age	Basic diagnostic, restorative and oral surgery – Does not include cleaning or flouride application
		Children from low-income families	Basic diagnostic, restorative and oral surgery – >12 years of age: annual teeth cleaning – 12 – 15 years of age: annual fluoride application
New Brunswick	Dental care for low-income families	Children <18 years of age from low-income families	Examination, basic diagnostic, extractions and some preventive treatment – Up to a maximum of $1,000/year
Nova Scotia	MSI Children’s Oral Health Program	Children <10 years of age – Families required to access private coverage first	Diagnostic (dental exam), preventive (one sealant application) and treatment services (fillings, flouride application in some cases) – General anesthesia covered in hospital settings only
	Mentally Challenged Program	Children with disability (no age limit) – Required to access private coverage first	Diagnostic, preventive, and treatment services – General anesthesia covered in hospital settings only
Prince Edward Island	Children’s Dental Care Program (Treatment Services)	– Children three – 17 years of age – Annual registration fee of $15/child to a maximum of $35/family (waived for low-income families) – Parent pays 20% of treatment cost, unless annual income <$30,00/year	Diagnostic and basic treatment services
	Children’s Dental Care Program (Prevention)	All school-aged children three – 17 years of age	Oral health education, screening, scaling, topical fluoride, sealants
	Pediatric Specialist Services Dental Program	– Children in medical and financial need – Annual registration fee of $15/child	Diagnostic, treatment and some preventive services
	Preventive orthodontic clinic	Directed at children in low-income families	Minor preventive orthodontic services
	Early Childhood Dental Initiative	15- and 18-month-old babies at Public Health immunization clinics	Screening, risk assessment by dental hygienists
Newfoundland	Children’s Dental Health Program	– All children zero – 12 years of age – Families required to access private coverage first	Children’s component: diagnostic, preventive periodontal, restorative services (ie, exams, cleanings, fillings, fluoride application, extractions, sealants)
		– Youth 13 – 17 years of age in low-income families or on social assistance	Social assistance component: exams, fillings, extractions and emergency treatment
Nunavut and the Northwest Territories	Non-Insured Health Benefits Program	Registered First Nations and Inuit	Emergency, diagnostic, restorative, endodontic, periodontal, prosthodontic, oral surgery, orthodontic services
Yukon Territory	Children’s Dental Health Program (Yukon Health and Social Services)	Two programs: – Preschool children – All school-age children from kindergarten to Grade 8 (or grade 12) depending on the place of residence	– Preventive, restorative, periodontal, and oral surgery services – Emergency (accidental) not covered in school-age children’s plan