The CDCP is a historic investment in public dental coverage, and the Canadian Dental Association (CDA), which represents over 21,000 dentists across the country, strongly supports the goal of helping more Canadians access the care they need. We look forward to working with the new Health Minister Marjorie Michel to improve Canadians oral health.  

Early in the policy development process, CDA shared a detailed, patient-focused policy framework with the federal government—a roadmap to ensure that this new federal program would work in real clinics, for real people, without undermining what’s already working in Canada’s mixed public and private system. Today, we are seeing firsthand in our practices some of the challenges we cautioned against.

Stories are now emerging from across the country about patients experiencing delays in treatment, or having urgent care denied due to preauthorization rules. These barriers must be addressed if the CDCP is to succeed in the long-term.

A recent national survey of dentists conducted by CDA and our provincial partners revealed that 92% of dentists report patients being discouraged by administrative delays, especially the slow preauthorization approvals—which are required for many common procedures. Health Canada says 52 per cent of requests for pre-authorized dental treatments between November 2024 and June 2025 have been rejected. The result? Delayed care and rising frustration for patients who were promised access, not red tape.

The CDCP is also markedly different from the private dental plans Canadians are used to. Although private plans typically cover preventive care and offer clear, predictable reimbursement, the CDCP places the administrative burden on dentists and leaves patients uncertain about what’s covered, when, and why.

There is a risk that dental benefits provided by employers, long the backbone of Canadian oral health, will erode. This is a serious concern that CDA has raised from the outset. If even a significant number of companies cancel benefits for lower-income workers now eligible for CDCP, we could see enrolment balloon from 9 million to over 17 million Canadians. This would stretch the CDCP, slow access for all, and undermine the mixed model system that has served Canadians well for decades.

We also face a growing oral health human resource challenge. Dentists across Canada are reporting increasing difficulty in hiring and retaining dental assistants and hygienists. Nearly 80% of oral health practices report human resources issues according to Statistics Canada, with almost 9,000 vacancies of dental assistants, dental hygienists and dentists nationwide. These gaps already limit CDCP patient care according to nearly one-third of dentists. With the CDCP expanding to millions more Canadians this year, this could become a true capacity crisis—especially in rural and underserved communities.

Training new professionals is also getting harder. Dental schools are seeing unintended consequences of the CDCP and their clinical caseloads shrink as eligible patients move to private practices, making it more difficult for students to get the hands-on experience they need to graduate. Preauthorization delays don’t just slow care. They’re now slowing the development of Canada’s future oral health workforce.

Despite these challenges, dentists remain committed to working constructively with government. We believe in a CDCP that adds to Canadians’ options, not one that replaces existing coverage or burdens an already stretched workforce.

We’re urging Ottawa to:

• Streamline preauthorization and processing claims to reduce delays;
• Protect existing private benefits through policy safeguards;
• Invest in workforce training and recruitment, particularly for dental assistants and hygienists; and
• Support dental schools to ensure students can complete their training.

Canada has a chance to get this right. With the right adjustments, the CDCP can live up to its promise and become a lasting pillar of Canada’s health system. But we can’t ignore the evidence mounting in our practices.

Let’s ensure this program delivers not just access, but the high-quality care every Canadian deserves.

Dr. Bruce Ward, President, Canadian Dental Association