OTTAWA — Health Minister Mark Holland says he has seen a large jump in the number of dentists who have agreed to provide services under the new dental-care program.
The government began accepting dental claims for seniors enrolled in the program in May, and has since expanded eligibility to qualifying children under the age of 18 and people with a disability tax credit.
While some 2.3 million patients have been quick to enrol, getting dentists on board to provide the care has been more challenging.
As of last month, roughly 11,500 dentists, hygienists and denturists were registered to provide care under the program, which represented less than 50 per cent of dental professionals in Canada.
Dentists appeared more reticent to enrol than other providers, as dental associations across the country expressed concerns about the design of the program and the administrative burden on dentists.
Holland says 16,612 dentists are now participating, which represents roughly 75 per cent of all dentists and dental specialists in Canada.
"The front door has been blowing off over the last month, with uptake of providers signing up to participate," Holland said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday morning, Holland held a press conference at a dental office downtown Ottawa to announce the progress.
He said the increase is probably thanks to a change last month that allowed providers to participate on a claim-by-claim basis rather than registering in advance.
The program was born out of a bargain between the minority Liberals and the NDP to prevent an early election in exchange for progress on shared priorities.
The two parties' goal is to make the coverage available to any uninsured person with a household income under $90,000. Full enrolment eligibility expected in 2025.
"Today is an important day in our progress to make oral health a part, permanently, of Canada's health-care system," Holland said.
So far, some 450,000 people have received care with the help of the program, Holland said.
The minister added there are some parts of the country where provider participation is lagging, including in Alberta and New Brunswick. The challenge is particularly acute in rural areas, which are already underserved, he said.
If the program is to succeed, the government doesn't just need all current dental-care providers to be ready to sign up.
More professionals will also be needed to serve the nine million or so patients Ottawa expects to be eligible for the program before the end of next year.
Conservative health critic Stephen Ellis characterized the program as being "riddled with chaos, backlogs, red tape and higher costs."
"Trudeau's flailing government has botched their flagship 'dental program' from the start and now their wacko minister of health is trying to distract from their disaster by telling Canadians they never had it so good," Ellis said in a statement Wednesday.
Holland fired back at the Conservatives during his press conference, and accused the Opposition of manufacturing problems with the program.
"Trying to set fire to things that are working because they're afraid politically it's going to be bad news for them, I just think that's, well, frankly, disgusting," Holland said.
The recent increase in the number of participating dentists follows months of back and forth between the government and the Canadian Dental Association, which has advocated for changes to the program.
The association did not respond to specific questions Wednesday, but instead said in a statement that the government has addressed some immediate and short-term concerns.
"Each dentist has the autonomy and will decide whether to participate or not in the (federal dental plan) based on what is best for their patients and the capacity of their practice," the association said in a statement.
"Changes through our continued advocacy have increased the comfort level of many dentists to participate in the plan."
Holland said the government will continue to consult with dental associations as it works on the next phase of the program, which will grant coverage for treatments that require pre-authorization before they can be preformed.
That coverage is expected to begin in November.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2024.
Laura Osman and Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
