Free basic dental care for quebec kids from the cradle to age 16.   That's one of the health-care promises from the Quebec Liberals today.  Premier Jean Charest says access to free basic dental care, currently limited to children ages zero to nine, will be extended to include children ages 10 to 16.

The Quebec Liberals are also promising more help for the chronically-ill. They want to institute a medical follow-up and health-care coordination program that will have nurses phoning chronic-care patients at home to check up on their condition, to make sure they're following doctors' orders and to verify that they're taking their medication.

Health Minister Yves Bolduc says the 47-million dollars the program will cost will return solid dividends down the road in terms of health-care savings.