Half of complete preauthorization requests under the Canadian Dental Care Plan are denied. Only 17 per cent of dentists say most recommended care is covered. Those figures sit at the centre of a Canadian Dental Association assessment that calls for more than 30 changes to a programme serving millions of Canadians.
In the 2025-2026 financial year, 6.5 million people were registered in the CDCP and 3.9 million received care. For 2026-2027, registrations fell to 4.7 million, while more than 900,000 applicants already had approved claims.
A large programme with a clear affordability gap
About 7.5 million Canadians had enrolled in the CDCP by Aug. 31. More than 4.8 million had received care through it, according to Health Canada. The share of Canadians reporting no dental insurance fell from 35 per cent to 25 per cent.
Support reached 64 per cent among Canadians and 70 per cent among dentists. More than 90 per cent of dentists were participating.
The programme works for many patients. Eighty-eight per cent of CDCP patients described their experience positively, and 57 per cent said their oral health had improved. Yet 37 per cent still reported financial barriers. Another 59 per cent expected treatment to be completely free.
The programme began in 2023 with a limited group of older adults and was expanded in May 2025 to all eligible uninsured residents with adjusted family income below $90,000. The Department of Finance says patients may still owe co-payments and any difference between the CDCP fee and a dentist's actual charge.
"The CDCP represents one of the most significant investments in the oral health of Canadians in our country's history," said Dr. Kirk Preston, president of CDA. He called the programme progress worth protecting. He also said it must work better for patients and the dental teams providing care.
The CDA paper calls the CDCP a "generational achievement". It says coverage has not consistently become accessible and affordable care. Enrolling a patient is not the same as securing the treatment that patient needs.
Workforce shortages add another bottleneck
The assessment identifies 7,200 vacancies among dental hygienists and dental assistants. The shortages reduce the capacity of practices to accept patients, particularly in rural and remote communities.
The CDA also points to administrative demands and a reduction in the $250-million Oral Health Access Fund.
The association rates progress on workforce challenges as limited. It supports federal loan forgiveness and post-graduation work permit eligibility for dental assistants. It also backs protection for dental student training and broader workforce planning.
The CDA wants preauthorization streamlined and regular CDCP data published. The programme's reach remains another unresolved issue.
Approximately half of CDCP-eligible respondents said they had visited a dentist regularly before the plan began. The CDA is seeking an independent evaluation. It wants to know whether the programme is bringing previously underserved Canadians into care or mainly helping people who already received treatment with their costs.
That access question is familiar in public dental policy. The same divide between formal coverage and practical availability appears in an earlier access report about oral health systems that leave dental services out of workable universal coverage.
Prevention and data remain underdeveloped
The CDA has three priorities: patient care, programme design and a broader oral health strategy. It wants coverage aligned with oral health needs. Patients should receive clearer explanations of covered services and likely costs before treatment.
The association also wants fees aligned with the cost of delivering care, fewer administrative barriers and a complementary relationship between the CDCP and existing coverage. The federal programme covers preventive and basic services. It also covers some complex care, such as fillings and dentures. Selected procedures and services beyond frequency limits require prior approval.
The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association supports that direction but wants prevention to have a stronger place in the plan. In a January 2026 survey of 1,543 dental hygienists, nearly 80 per cent reported increased patient access through the CDCP.
Almost half said many of their CDCP patients had gone more than five years without oral health care or had never received it. The need is plain.
Hygienists reported limits on scaling and root planing. They also reported restrictions on preventive benefits and difficulty obtaining preauthorization for clinically necessary care.
The CDHA recommends broader periodontal prevention and maintenance coverage. It wants dental hygienists' examinations recognized separately from annual examination limits. It also calls for more personalised education and counselling.
"Dental hygienists are seeing Canadians return to oral health care after years without access. As the program evolves, prevention, education, and early interventions should be key priorities," said CDHA president Wendy Wells.
Separate public opinion research conducted for the CDHA found that 87 per cent of Canadians supported the CDCP. Among users, 92 per cent reported improved access and 73 per cent said they had received services they previously could not access.
Both associations describe a programme that has achieved scale and public support but has not solved the mechanics of care. The CDCP has made dental visits more reachable. Denials, fees, workforce vacancies and weak outcome data still determine whether coverage becomes timely treatment.
Patients do not receive CDCP reimbursements directly. Clinics bill Sun Life. Patients remain responsible for applicable co-payments and costs outside the programme.
Orthodontic treatment is not part of standard CDCP coverage. Until these barriers are addressed, the plan will remain a significant public investment with an incomplete clinical result rather than a fully functioning route to oral health.
