—to the clinical areas where far greater separation between patients must be maintained.
Also, ensuring that the expanded range of PPE is properly worn, removed and decontaminated has significantly changed the way we work. The workflow of the office has changed to where there is absolutely no flow at all.
Some of this may resolve over time, but these challenges are putting a strain on dental practices and our ability to provide care. Of course, these challenges presuppose that one has access to the PPE to perform the necessary procedures.
From the onset of the current crisis, dentistry identified the impending shortages of PPE as a critical issue for us. We reached out through the Public Health Agency of Canada and the office of the chief dental officer of Canada to reflect that a critical shortage would hamper the ability of dental offices to provide emergency care.
We recognize the multi-dimensional challenges that led to the shortages of PPE. The current and unprecedented demands for these materials have been exacerbated by the problems in supply chains, especially in China.
In fact, early in the pandemic, when all hospitals were critically short of PPE, many dentists across the country stripped their offices of their own supplies to donate to the front-line causes in their communities, but with dental offices reopening, it's important that we emphasize that dentists are front-line providers as well. While we had initially hoped that access to PPE through our traditional sources would improve as supply chains reopened or new supply chains emerged, that has not yet happened. Some materials, such as latex gloves, have become much more difficult to acquire.
Individual dental offices are also attempting to acquire the same kinds of PPE as large government entities, most notably N95 respirators, which are essential and, in many cases, mandatory for dental care today. These government organizations, including the Government of Canada, can leverage their might to acquire mass quantities or impose guidelines on suppliers that have them prioritizing supply delivery to those entities actively on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight.
The result is a supply of PPE that remains very scarce, if not impossible to access, and at rising prices due to demand. For dentists in Canada right now, to serve our patients appropriately, we currently need one million pieces of PPE per day. This need will increase to up to four million pieces if we can reach full capacity again.
As governments and health care providers work together to find long-term solutions to sourcing and maintaining a consistent and dependable supply of PPE in Canada, dentistry needs to be at the table.
This echoes the concerns that we have stated for several years about the state of public funding for oral health care services in Canada. Most Canadians are able to access care through employer-sponsored benefit plans. Unfortunately, our public programs have been chronically underfunded across the country. Just 6% of our dental care is provided to Canadians through public programs; however, growth in the usage of publicly funded oral health care programs is particularly acute among low-income seniors, children and individuals with physical and developmental challenges. The new normal will mean even greater challenges in providing care for these individuals, if care can be provided at all.
Over the past decade, the erosion of provincial-territorial funding of these programs has created a circumstance where the needs of these vulnerable groups are no longer being adequately met. With the profound economic challenges from COVID-19 to come, many Canadians will lose access to their employer-sponsored benefits. This will place an even greater strain on these public programs.
The federal government has a clear role to play in helping to ensure that these provincial and territorial programs can appropriately address the challenges to come. Specifically, we recommend that the federal government create a specific oral health envelope of $3 billion as part of the Canada health transfer. At a time when there will be many demands on public health care dollars in Canada, we simply can’t afford to allow these programs to wait at the back of the line and hope that funds will flow through.
Finally, as we consider the challenges ahead, we clearly recognize the crisis within long-term care facilities across the country.
Several years ago, CDA asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to include basic standards of oral health care for veterans in long-term care facilities. It was our hope that these standards could have been instituted, benefiting not only the veterans in the facilities but all of those who resided in the facilities. Unfortunately, we were informed that Veterans Affairs did not have contracts with these facilities, but only contribution agreements. That left it to the provinces to ensure that appropriate care was provided.
Our suggested standards are not onerous, but are, at the very least, the minimum we believe should be provided to any senior in care. They are an oral health assessment on intake, a daily oral health plan, a yearly visit with a dentist, and a location within the facility where dentistry can be performed.
We recognize that there will be large and far-reaching discussions on how to best care for seniors in these facilities. These oral health care standards might seem minor in the current context of COVID-19, but these small steps can help to contribute to the development of a culture of care, oversight and responsibility that will be critical to setting things right for Canada's seniors.
On behalf of Dr. Burry and I, thank you very much for your attention. We'd be happy to take any questions.