Yukoners urge gov't to update its dental act to allow for better access to services in rural communities

A dental hygienist in Whitehorse is urging the territorial government to update its Dental Profession Act.

Claire Hudson said she's been researching how she can offer dental hygiene services in rural communities but has learned the current act doesn't recognize dental hygienists as a designated health profession.

"Our dental act does not mention any sort of incorporation for hygienists so I would not be able to practise as a business," Hudson said.

"The other part is it doesn't explicitly say that I can practise independently it just says that I can practise without being in the view of a dentist."

The frustrating part about that, Hudson said is that many other provinces allow for hygienists to offer their services independently.

Over the summer, Hudson circulated a survey around Yukon communities to see if there would be interest in her providing dental hygienist services.

She also reached out to a few Yukon MLAs to garner support for her idea.

She called the response, "overwhelming"

"It seems like they support it," Hudson said. "They seem to think it could be beneficial for the communities."

Hudson said if the government would consider amending the act to incorporate dental hygienists it would only improve the Yukon's health-care system as a whole. She said there isn't much of a downside as she sees it.

"Everyone has the right  to health care," she said. "Everyone has the right to oral health care. I think it's just a necessary change for those in the communities especially for example Dawson or Old Crow where it's just not really accessible to come in to Whitehorse as needed for your dental hygiene care."

NDP wants legislation changed 

Earlier this week during the Legislative Assembly, Yukon NDP MLA Annie Blake put forward a motion calling on the government to amend the act.

In a recent interview with CBC News, Yukon NDP Leader Kate White said if someone is willing to offer a much needed service to rural Yukoners, legislation should support it, not hinder it.

"There are many pieces of legislation in the Yukon and they each do something different," White said. "Sometimes you don't know of the short-comings in a piece of legislation until someone who has a very specific interest finds that mistake."

White said now that the motion has been put forward she wants to see the government take a serious look at what can be done between now and the spring sitting in March.

"A small change to a piece of legislation that could make a dental hygienist that much more able to visit you in your community," White said. "That's a change that is worthy to make."  

Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee said there's a few things to do before making any firm decisions or changes to legislation, but she is willing to look into how the government can assist with helping Hudson's pursuit.

"We should examine what it is this dental hygienist is interested in doing," McPhee said. "And then we need to review the what the current act permits. We have to figure out how those two things fit together or are there required adjustments to the act? "

"The next question for us is how we could make those adjustments, or what method would be available. It might be legislative change to the dental profession act or it could be something like a regulation or it could be another opportunity for policy change."

'How are we helping the community?'

While this issue is being discussed among politicians, the owners of the Yukon Spa in Dawson are working on their own interim solution, locally.

Lee Manning said they've created a space within the spa where a dental hygienist will be working from every other month starting February 27.

"Our business, its vision is to increase community health," Manning said. "That's why we're so diverse in what we do because that's what we always have to answer is how are we helping the community?"

Manning said having this service available through the spa will not only benefit the business, and the local residents but also people who live outside of Dawson, like Mayo, and Old Crow, can travel a shorter distance to have their teeth checked rather than going to Whitehorse.