BEDFORD, NS – April 16, 2024: Some Nova Scotians will be able to access treatment under the new Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) as early as May. However, the Nova Scotia Dental Association (NSDA) worries the program has been misrepresented to Canadians and will increase patient demand at a time when acute staffing shortages are already impacting timely access to care.

“The NSDA supports a plan that will provide all Canadians with improved access to dental care, but we have reservations with the CDCP in its current form,” says NSDA President Dr. Juli Waterbury. “We do not believe the CDCP is what Canadians expected and were promised. The program is being touted by politicians as ‘free dental care for all Canadians,’ but this is not accurate.”

As a government dental benefit, the CDCP covers part of the cost of care for eligible Nova Scotians. Patients may be required to make a co-payment of up to 60 per cent depending on their adjusted family net income, and may also have to pay the portion of costs that are not covered under the plan.

“Across the province we already have people walking into dental offices expecting free care for a number of services,” Dr. Waterbury says. “There is a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding the rollout and the details of this plan, and these issues are not unique to Nova Scotia.”

Also concerning is that many Nova Scotians may lose the ability to choose their own oral health provider. Dental office participation across Canada is expected to be low as the plan is implemented — due, in part, to existing staff shortages.

As the NSDA’s 2024 Oral Health Report highlights, Nova Scotia is dealing with a critical shortage of registered dental assistants and registered dental hygienists, making access to dental care difficult for many people in the province. Nearly 20 percent (one in five) of Nova Scotians are waiting longer for a dental hygiene appointment as compared to a year ago. The CDCP will bring an influx of new patients into an already stretched system, worsening the issue of longer wait times for crucial dental care.

“Many Nova Scotians might be forced to find a new dentist, should their regular dentist not enroll, while others might have to travel to a different city or region to get CDCP-covered care,” says NSDA Executive Director Steve Jennex. “This would be devastating for Nova Scotians — particularly those living in rural and remote communities and those who have limited mobility.”

To ensure Nova Scotians continue to have access to oral healthcare, the NSDA wants to work with government to increase the numbers of registered dental hygienists and registered dental assistants working across the province.

To read NSDA’s recommendations, check out the 2024 Nova Scotia Health Report, An ounce of prevention: Solving Nova Scotia’s dental staff shortage will benefit patients.

About the Nova Scotia Dental Association

The Nova Scotia Dental Association (NSDA) is a member-based organization serving the needs of more than 500 dentist members across the province. As a not-for-profit organization, the NSDA has been the voice for dentistry in Nova Scotia since 1981. Our mission is dentists helping dentists.

Media Contact:
Samantha Ashenhurst
Communications Manager
Nova Scotia Dental Association
902-420-008 ext. 2
communications.nsda@bellaliant.com