Dental surgery wait times to be reduced in B.C.

VANCOUVER— Health Minister Adrian Dix has announced a plan to add 900 more dental surgeries in the province in the coming year for vulnerable children and adults.

Dix says increased access will lead to a substantial reduction in wait times for people currently suffering in pain.

He says the total number of surgeries for those requiring a general anesthetic for their dental procedures will grow to 71-hundred in 2018-19 — up 15 percent over the previous year.

Dix says his ministry will also work with the B-C Dental Association to study wait-time guidelines and protocols that the ministry will use to further improve timely access for patients who require dental care in a hospital setting.