Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, since 2020, I have been raising my concerns with the delivery of dental services in the Northwest Territories. In the NWT, in order for a dental hygienist to work they need to be under a dentist. So if you are a dental hygienist in the Northwest Territories, you are not able to provide your services unless you work under a dentist. This is not the way many other jurisdictions in Canada operate.
Mr. Speaker, we know that oral health in the Northwest Territories, and especially in small communities, is a problem. We also know that oral health in Indigenous people is extremely different than nonIndigenous people. We know that prevention is the key of oral health. Recognizing the difference in health outcomes between Indigenous and nonIndigenous populations, dental prevention services in the NWT need to be greatly improved and this should be considered an act of reconciliation.
Mr. Speaker, prevention services for oral health has always been limited in the North and this problem has been amplified since COVID19. Now Mr. Speaker, we are seeing all patients from all communities in the NWT who are in pain and struggling to take care of their teeth. From young children to the elderly, we are seeing major challenges with dental problems. The problem has increased so much we can't even get through the dental emergencies.
So why is the NWT limiting dental hygienists' services in the NWT right now? The Dental Auxiliary Act requires dental hygienists to be registered under a dentist, that's why. And so all service provided by a dental hygienist are at the discretion of a dentist. Mr. Speaker, we know that there is a major backlog in dental services in the NWT, and that are people are literally in pain. If we change the legislation to recognize dental hygienists are professionals in their own right, we open up the doors to letting them get into our communities and to provide the much-needed preventative services that are required. Not only could our Indigenous government contract these dental hygienists to provide much needed service to their communities, the GNWT could support dental hygienists' travel just as they do for dental travel. If we can get the hygienists into the community, we open up the opportunities for them to do business and services our residents broadly and consistently need. So why are we preventing the delivery of this much needed service? I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services later today.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
