The Canadian Dental Care Plan is working. Now let’s make it even better.

Before the Canadian Dental Care Plan, millions of Canadians lacked dental coverage. Statistics Canada found that people without dental insurance were almost four times as likely to avoid visiting an oral health professional because of cost as those with public or private insurance.

The CDCP is beginning to change that reality.

As of Sept. 30, 2026, more than 7.6 million Canadians have been enrolled in the CDCP since its launch. The recent Auditor General's report concluded that the program has made dental care more affordable for millions of Canadians. In 2025, members who used the program spent an average of $264 out of pocket, compared with $536 for Canadian households in the most recent comparable Statistics Canada data. About 560,000 CDCP members who received care paid nothing out of pocket.

But numbers alone do not tell the full story.

At the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA), we wanted to understand what the CDCP looks like from both sides of the chair: for Canadians receiving care and for the oral health professionals providing it.

In early 2026, CDHA surveyed practising dental hygienists from across Canada. The experience of more than 1500 of them is compelling. Nearly 80 per cent said participation in the CDCP had increased their practice's patient base. Perhaps more importantly, dental hygienists estimated that 46 per cent of the CDCP patients they saw had not received dental hygiene care for more than 5 years, had never received such care before joining the program, or had not received care at all.

These are not simply patients shifting from one form of insurance to another. The program is reaching people who, in many cases, had been disconnected from oral health care altogether.

Canadians themselves tell a similar story. CDHA's national public opinion research, conducted by Abacus Data among 2,002 Canadian adults, found that 92per cent of CDCP users said the program had improved their access to dental care. In contrast, 73 per cent said it enabled them to obtain services they previously could not access. Eighty-four per cent said their coverage fully or mostly met their needs.

This is important progress. But a program of this scale should continue to evolve as experience and evidence accumulate.

For dental hygienists, the first priority is prevention.

Oral health care should not be limited to treating disease after it develops. Dental hygienists focus on preventing disease, identifying risks early, managing periodontal disease, and helping people develop behaviours that protect both their oral and overall health. Better prevention coverage reduces overall cost of treatment.

Yet CDHA's survey found that preventive coverage remains a significant challenge. The most common recommendation from dental hygiene respondents was to increase the set limits to the number of scaling units per age group and expand preventive services coverage. Among respondents with experience seeking additional scaling or root planing units, 45.5 per cent reported that preauthorization requests were never successful.

CDHA believes the next phase of the program should provide greater flexibility in preventive care to meet individual patients’ needs better. That includes appropriate dental hygiene examinations and reassessments, periodontal care, oral health education and other preventive interventions. 

Second, we need to reduce unnecessary administrative burden.

Almost two-thirds of dental hygienists surveyed described the preauthorization process as somewhat or very demanding. Administrative requirements for claims were also a significant concern. Time spent navigating comprehensive documentation and authorization processes is time that cannot be spent providing care. Health Canada, Sun Life and oral health organizations should continue working together to streamline these processes while maintaining appropriate program integrity. 

Third, Canadians need clearer information about what the CDCP covers and what they may still have to pay.

More than 82 per cent of surveyed dental hygienists reported patient concerns about limited coverage, 76 per cent encountered patients who believed care would be completely free, and nearly 67 per cent reported concerns about out-of-pocket costs. Clearer communication about coverage, co-payments, preauthorization and annual renewal would reduce confusion and allow patients to make informed decisions. 

Finally, Canada should make full use of its dental hygiene workforce. Dental hygienists provide care not only in traditional dental offices, but also in independent practices, mobile settings, long-term care, public health, and community settings. Only 6.4 per cent of CDHA survey respondents reported having to decline new CDCP patients due to workforce capacity constraints. 

The CDCP represents one of the most significant changes to oral health care in Canada in generations. Its success should ultimately be measured not simply by how many Canadians enrol, but by whether more people receive preventive care, experience less oral disease, and enjoy better health.

The evidence so far is encouraging. Many Canadians are getting care they previously could not afford or access. The task now is to build on that success and clearly assess whether CDCP patients show a marked improvement in oral health outcomes.

Keep the access. Strengthen the prevention. Simplify the program. And make sure every dollar invested moves Canadians closer to better oral and overall health.

Wendy Wells, RDH, CDIPC, President, Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. 

The views expressed are those of the author(s). Canada Healthwatch publishes a range of perspectives and does not necessarily endorse the opinions presented.