Health Minister Says 75 Percent of Dentists Have Signed Onto Dental Care Plan

Minister of Health Mark Holland speaks at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, on July 17, 2024. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Seventy-five percent of dentists and dental specialists are now participating in Canada’s new federal dental-care program, Health Minister Mark Holland says.

A total of 16,612 dentists and dental specialists, 1,746 denturists, and 857 dental hygienists have joined the Liberal government’s Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), representing roughly three-quarters of all dentists and dental specialists in Canada, Holland said during an Aug. 7 press conference.

Holland said the “explosion” in the number of dental care providers participating “exceeds anything I could have hoped for in the first three months” of the program’s operation.