Over the past year, the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the CDCP, including research involving 3,000 people across Canada—both CDCP patients and people not enrolled in the program—as well as more than 1,000 dentists. We combined these findings with consultations with provincial and territorial dental associations and an analysis of available CDCP  and oral health data.

The findings are encouraging, and they also point to opportunities to improve the CDCP for patients. 

People in Canada clearly value greater access to dental care. More than 6.5 million people enrolled in the CDCP during the 2025-26 benefit year, with nearly four million receiving care. Among CDCP patients surveyed by CDA, 88% described their experience positively. Our surveys also found that the proportion of Canadians who reported having no dental insurance fell by 10 percentage points, from 35% to 25%, over two years. Taken together, these results demonstrate the remarkable impact a public program can achieve.

That is important progress. As a practising specialist dentist in Atlantic Canada, I see firsthand what access to oral health care can mean for my patients and their families. Treating problems earlier can prevent them from becoming more painful, complex and costly.

Dentists across Canada have embraced the program as well. More than 90% now participate, and a strong majority of dentists support the CDCP, reflecting our profession’s longstanding commitment to improving access to oral health care.

But our research also reveals an important reality: having dental coverage and being able to access affordable, timely dental care are not the same thing for all patients.

Affordability still remains a concern. Thirty-seven percent of eligible CDCP patients surveyed reported financial barriers to care. At the same time, 59% mistakenly believed that CDCP coverage meant dental care would be completely free. 

Many patients arrive at their dental appointments expecting the CDCP to cover the full cost of treatment, only to learn that they may have an amount to pay, which leaves dental teams to explain the program’s reimbursement structure.

Canadians need clearer information before they arrive at a dental office about what is covered, what they could be expected to pay and why. 

Our research identified another important challenge: whether Canada has enough oral health professionals to deliver the additional care that expanded coverage makes possible.

Canada has an estimated 7,200 vacancies for dental hygienists and dental assistants. These shortages are particularly significant outside major urban areas. I see this problem in New Brunswick, where patients struggle to find a dental office accepting new patients. When practices cannot recruit the professionals they need, there is a limit to how many patients they can serve.

Canada needs a coordinated approach to oral health workforce planning, supported by better national data and federal programs that recognize the essential role of dental assistants in oral health care.

 Some patients face significant barriers in receiving the care they need. We know that approximately half of completed preauthorization requests are denied. Our assessment also found that 71% of dentists say denials have affected their patients’ oral health outcomes. When a dentist recommends treatment, but the CDCP does not authorize it, patients are left untreated. Dentists need transparent criteria and meaningful explanations when treatment is not approved.

Our research reinforces the importance of data and program evaluation. The federal government now has no dedicated national oral health surveys in operation. Without that evidence, we cannot reliably measure whether the CDCP is improving oral health outcomes for patients, and we cannot see which communities are still going without care or where the program needs to change to reach them.

None of these findings diminish what Canada has accomplished.

For the past five years, CDA and provincial and territorial dental associations have worked constructively with the federal government on the design and implementation of the CDCP. Changes made along the way have made it easier for dental offices to participate and, ultimately, for patients to receive care. That same spirit of collaboration should guide the program’s next phase.

Our research offers over 30 recommendations to improve access to care for patients, including priority areas such as: addressing oral health workforce challenges; giving patients clearer information about costs and coverage; making preauthorization decisions more transparent and explain denials when they happen; and restoring the national surveys that would tell us whether this unprecedented investment is improving Canadians’ oral health.

The federal government has made oral health a national priority. The next phase should ensure we measure success not simply by how many Canadians are enrolled but by what happens once they have coverage.

Are patients getting the care they need? Can they get it when they need it? Can they afford it? And, ultimately, is their oral health improving?

Thousands of patients and dentists have now told us where the CDCP is succeeding and where gaps remain. 

On October 6, CDA will release its complete assessment, From Coverage to Care, on Parliament Hill. All parliamentarians are invited to join us for a discussion about access to oral health care for people in Canada.

By following the evidence and continuing to work together, governments and the dental profession can make the CDCP stronger and ensure Canadians receive the right care, at the right time, at a cost they can afford.

Dr. Kirk Preston is a practicing prosthodontist in both Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. Dr. Preston is president of the Canadian Dental Association.