432-00966 (Health)

WHEREAS

• Orthodontic cranial growth stunting is a long-time used practice that began in the Victorian-era as means to align teeth based on the cultural belief that the face could over-grow;

• The practice is employed via appliances such as cervical headgears;

• The use of such appliances has been clinically demonstrated to be prejudicial to the health of a child, such that they stunt cranial, facial and pharyngeal growth of children, resulting in stunted and narrower than normal airways, predisposing them to life-long and life threatening conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea;

• Alternatives to such appliances to align teeth that do not rely on stunting cranial, facial and pharyngeal growth are abundant;

• The 1959 UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child states in Principle 2: The child shall enjoy special protection, and shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and by other means, to enable him to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. In the enactment of laws for this purpose, the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration; and

• The 1989 International Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Canada is a binding party states in Article 24.3: States Parties shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children.

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Honorable Patricia Hajdu, Minister of Health to:

• Abolish orthodontic practices that stunt the natural growth of a child's skull, including the use of cervical headgears.