CDA Essentials 2014 • Volume 1• Issue 7

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17 Volume 1 Issue 7 |
News and Events
The city stopped adding fluoride to its water supply in 2008
because of the cost associated with the needed restoration
of its drinking water treatment plants. However, a province-
wide program for the fluoridation of drinking water allowed
Trois-Rivières to reintroduce CWF, as the program will cover all
fluoridation-related expenses. It could take up to 5 years for
citizens of Trois-Rivières to start drinking fluoridated water again—
the reintroduction of CWF being a multistep process that starts
with the construction of new infrastructure.
“This was an important vote,” explained Dr. Barry Dolman,
president of the Order of Dentists of Quebec. “We needed a major
city to take the first step, to cause a domino effect. Such a vote in
favour of CWF encourages us to keep advocating in other major
cities.”
While Trois-Rivières Mayor Yves Lévesque is pleased with the
turn of events, many city councillors felt that such public health
decisions should be made by the provincial government. “We
had to settle a very divisive debate, both within the population
and council,” said Councillor Jean-François Aubin. “I heard
what both sides had to say and, as I am not an expert in CWF, I
decided to follow the recommendations made by the province’s
department of public health.”
The Quebec government launched its program for the fluoridation of drinking water in 2005 to
improve the oral health of its population. “Water fluoridation is the cornerstone of any public
preventive oral health program, and all municipalities concerned should institute it,” says the
province’s director of public health in a position document. a
Trois-
Rivières
to reintroduce
community
water
fluoridation
In February 2014,
the city councillors
of Trois-Rivières,
Quebec, voted by a
margin of 9 to 7 in
favour of reintroducing
community water
fluoridation (CWF).
Quebec Dentists Mobilize
for those in need
In September, the Foundation of the Order of Dentists of Quebec
(FODQ) launched the Bouche B [OpenMouth] project to offer free
care to Quebecers with urgent dental needs. More than 200 dentists have
volunteered to take part in this pro bono initiative.
“This initiative is consistent with
the mission of the FODQ, which
is to promote access to dental
health care for the most vulnerable
members of society,” explains
Dr. Pierre Tessier, FODQ president.
The Bouche B initiative relies on
its community partners to identify
eligible candidates. Regional
youth centres in Montreal and the
province, Fondation du Dr Julien
(a social pediatrics organization)
and Fondation PAS dans la rue (an
organization helping homeless
and near-homeless adults) will
be referring patients in need of
urgent dental treatment who
otherwise could not access care.
These individuals will receive free
dental services from local dentists
volunteering in the project.
“Healthy teeth are an essential
part of good overall health. It is
therefore important that those
in need have access to dental
health care despite their financial
difficulties—to avert more serious
problems that would result in high
costs for our health care system,”
adds Dr. Tessier. “We are proud of
the participation of our dentists
in this project and we hope it
will expand to many regions of
Quebec.” a
Quebec dentists who want to participate
in the Bouche B initiative can register at
Donner
lesourire
n'apas
deprix
Listen to a CBC interview
with Mayor Yves Lévesque:
cbc.ca /quebecam/
mauricie /2014/02/06/
fluoride-will -be-back-in-
trois-rivieres-water-supply/