February 28, 2023 - A message from CDA President, Dr. Lynn Tomkins

Good Afternoon,

In collaboration with provincial and territorial dental associations, CDA has prepared the attached policy paper to serve as a roadmap for the federal government as it creates a long-term dental program for underserved Canadians. The policy paper, Bridging the Financial Gap in Dental Care: Building a sustainable and effective federally funded program, follows the federal government’s historic investment in dental care, announced in Budget 2022.

CDA’s key recommendations include:

• Promoting the delivery of dental care primarily through the existing network of dental offices, supplemented as needed by public clinics
• Publicly funded coverage remaining a payer of last resort, after any privately funded coverage
• Addressing human resource challenges and staffing shortages in the oral health sector
• Ensuring that a dental care formula includes the full cost of treatment provided to patients

Dental Care in Canada

Canadians receive some of the best oral health care in the world, and the majority of Canadians visit the dentist every year. Dental care in Canada is delivered largely through private dental clinics owned and operated by highly trained and educated dental professionals. It is mainly financed through private dental coverage or via out-of-pocket payments. For more than a century, this system has provided quality dental care to thousands of patients and benefited the oral health of Canadians, which has improved in the past few decades.

But even the best systems have gaps and challenges. Two-thirds of Canadians have private dental coverage that funds all or part of their dental care.  Without dental coverage, especially employer-sponsored benefits, the average Canadian would not be able to afford dental care. This is why the promised federal investment of $5.3 billion into Canadian dental care is so important.

Also attached is a one-pager to provide a snapshot of the recommendations. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to meet regarding this paper. We would be pleased to have a discussion.

Thank you,

Dr. Lynn Tomkins
President

CDA Policy Paper_Snapshot_One Pager.pdf

2023-02-28_Bridging-financial-gap-in-dental-care_Final.pdf

2023-02-28_Page-unique-Document-d-orientation.pdf

2023-02-28_Combler-les-lacunes-en-matière-de-financement-des-soins-dentaires.pdf