TO: Chair and Members of the Board of Health
FROM: Graham L. Pollett, MD, FRCPC, Medical Officer of Health
DATE: 2012 February 16

Healthy Smiles Ontario Promotional Campaign 

Recommendation

It is recommended that Report No. 029-12 re Healthy Smiles Ontario Promotional Campaign be received for information.

Background

In October 2010, the Healthy Smiles Ontario (HSO) program was launched throughout the province. The HSO program provides preventive and early treatment services to eligible children and youth aged 0 to 17 years. Eligibility criteria include an adjusted family net income of less than $20,000, Ontario resident, and having no other form of dental insurance. The HSO program is funded 100% by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). A pamphlet outlining the program can be found in Appendix A.

As HSO is a new program and there has been limited provincial promotion of the program, it was recognized that a promotional initiative was needed to make those families with potentially eligible children aware of the program. In response to requests from several public health units as well as the Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry, the MOHLTC allowed public health units to submit requests for a one-time reallocation of potential HSO program operational funding surplus to support HSO promotional activities.

In September 2011, the Health Unit applied to use $75,000 of its HSO program operational funding for HSO promotional activities. In October 2011, the Health Unit received approval to use the amount requested. As a prerequisite for the funding, all approved marketing/promotional expenses had to be incurred prior to December 31, 2011.

HSO Promotional Campaign

The HSO marketing and promotion plan was designed in collaboration with the Health Unit Communications Team to ensure promotional activities were delivered to the residents of Middlesex County and the City of London. Some barriers and challenges faced in promoting the HSO program were:

1. Identifying and reaching the target population;
2. Ensuring the program reached newcomers to Canada and individuals with low literacy;
3. Assisting the community, including community partners, to understand the differences between the various publicly-funded dental programs for children which consist of the HSO program, the Children in Need of Treatment (CINOT) program and Ontario Works children’s program.

A variety of different media and promotional activities were undertaken to reach target populations within the Health Unit’s jurisdiction which include the following: 

1.   Print media campaign in local newspapers;
2.   Public transit shelter advertisements;
3.   Cinema advertisements;
4.   Radio advertising campaign;
5.   Rogers TV listing channel advertisement;
6.   Twitter campaign;
7.   Presentation at a health care providers workshop organized by the Health Unit on October 19, 2011;
8.   Producing HSO promotional kits that consist of toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, timer, and oral health/HSO program information;
9.   Producing an HSO displays.

As a result of the HSO campaign, staff members have been receiving numerous inquiries and requests for oral health presentations in the community. The promotional activities undertaken have had a positive impact on increasing awareness of the HSO program and are also influencing enrollment in the program as indicated by the graph in Appendix B.  

This report was prepared by Mr. Paul Sharma, Manager, Oral Health Team.

Graham L. Pollett, MD, FRCPC
Medical Officer of Health

This report addresses to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Child Health Standard.