Oral health plays a vital role in overall health and quality of life, yet dental care was excluded from Canada’s publicly funded health care system until last year. Poor oral health has been linked to serious conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, emphasizing the importance of regular dental checkups.
As of May 23, 2025, the Government of Canada reported that over four million applicants have been approved to receive coverage under the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), over two million applicants are already receiving care, and 25,668 oral health care providers are participating in what is one of the most extensive social programs in Canadian history.
The aim, as the minister of health at the time, Mark Holland, said in a prepared statement, was to “Make oral health care more accessible and affordable.” However, since the program’s implementation, growing pains have presented challenges for organizations and prospective patients.
The State of Care
Most Canadians have been responsible for financing their dental care themselves, typically paying for services through one of the following methods:
- Third-party insurance (employment-related dental coverage)
- Private dental insurance (not employment-related coverage)
- Directly out of pocket
- Government-subsidized programs.
The Canadian Health Measures Survey, a 2010 report published by Health Canada and conducted by Statistics Canada, showed that 75% of Canadians visited a dental clinic annually, and 86% did so at least once every two years. This is a significant improvement from the early 1970s, when barely half of the population consulted a dentist on an annual basis.
More recent data from the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey shows 65% of Canadians had seen a dental professional in the previous 12 months. Women (68%) were more likely than men (62%) to have had a recent visit, and younger Canadians aged 12 to 17 years (79%) reported higher rates of dental visits than adults aged 65 years and older (60%).
These statistics underscore the need for broader government support, as over one-third of Canadians (35%) reported not having dental insurance, and almost one in four Canadians (24%) reported avoiding going to the dentist due to cost.
Access to Care
The CDCP is a highly anticipated initiative aimed at expanding access to dental care, particularly for children from low-income households, helping them establish good oral hygiene habits early, and for individuals receiving social assistance, who may otherwise have put off treatment until experiencing pain.
According to the Canadian Dental Association (CDA), while the health care system and medical services plans provide coverage for virtually all physician and hospital health care costs, the majority of the responsibility for health care planning and delivery lies with the provinces and territories.
While 70% of the total cost of health care is covered by public insurance, a strong role has always been played by private out-of-pocket and employer-based insurance for services not covered publicly, such as dentistry, drugs and vision care.
Services that could be covered under the program, if recommended by an oral health provider, include preventive, diagnostic, restorative, endodontic, prosthodontic, periodontal and oral surgery services.
Although enrollment has been met with enthusiasm by many patients, early concerns have emerged due to administrative burdens, reimbursement structures and the challenges of enrolling dental professionals.
Eligibility
The CDCP is intended to reduce the financial barriers for Canadians without a dental plan. It will provide a subsidy for residents who do not have dental benefits and have an adjusted household income of less than $90,000 a year.
Services covered under the plan, from routine preventive services to more involved procedures, include:
- Teeth polishing
- Teeth scaling
- Oral x-rays
- Complete or partial dentures
- Oral dental sedation.
According to the CDCP, a wider range of essential treatments, including partial dentures, crowns and high levels of sedation, became available to CDCP patients through a preauthorization process that requires certain procedures to be approved by Sunlife and/or Health Canada as medically necessary in advance of treatment to be covered. This may require additional waiting periods.
For many patients, the treatment or the full cost of the appointment under the CDCP will not be free. While the federal government will pay a portion, the patient will be responsible for the co-payment of the remaining balance. In addition to the co-pay, many of the expenses covered by the federal government do not meet the full cost of the treatment, and the difference falls on the patient.
Addressing the Challenges
As many people who previously delayed regular oral care seek treatment, the surge in demand is making it difficult to accommodate new patients. For those patients needing more expensive procedures, dental clinics must submit additional documentation to demonstrate medical necessity for the treatment to be covered and completed under the CDCP. According to Health Canada, as reported by the CBC, 52% of requests for preauthorized dental work between November 2024 and June 2025 were denied.
Even with CDCP coverage, affordability remains a significant barrier. A CBC report citing a survey conducted by the digital insurance company PolicyMe found that 35% of Canadians are skipping or reducing dental visits, and 56% are delaying appointments altogether due to out-of-pocket costs. Many also fall into an income gap, earning too much to qualify for the CDCP, yet also find the cost of care out of reach. A recent CDA survey conducted by Abacus Data found that, because of the CDCP, some employers are removing or reducing their dental coverage. Additionally, 11% of respondents said their employer has already reduced their dental coverage because of the program.
To meet the rising demand driven by the increase in patients from the CDCP, the CDA estimates that an additional 2,300 more dental assistants and over 1,500 dental hygienists will be needed in 2025.
Investing in Oral Health
The CDCP is a major step forward in working to bring equitable access to oral health care to underserved eligible populations. By providing early care and teaching children from a young age the importance of oral health, we can help them develop lifelong habits that support their well-being. Offering education and affordable, impactful dental services throughout life can prevent oral health problems and promote better overall health.
As the 2025 federal election approaches, the CDA is urging all political parties to make oral health a national priority, sustaining long-term federal investment in oral health care, protecting employer-sponsored dental coverage and continuing support for the oral health care sector in addressing critical workforce shortages.
