Dental care in Canada: State of play

Summary

Dental care in Canada is an important part of everyone's overall health care. However, dental care is not available to everyone, and there are several issues that limit access to quality dental care for many Canadians.

 

Cost of care

The first problem with dental care in Canada is cost. The cost of dental care is very high, making access difficult for those who cannot afford to pay for dental care. As a result, millions of Canadians lack dental insurance and are unable to pay for necessary dental treatments. Statistics show that the cost of dental care was prohibitive for approximately 32% of the Canadian population in 2019. Many of these patients turn to dental tourism, and seek treatment elsewhere for very competitive rates.

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Shortage of dentists

The second problem is the shortage of dentists in some parts of the country. Rural and remote areas have the lowest levels of dentists relative to population, making it difficult for people to get quality dental care. Distances, transportation costs and busy schedules of dentists can also deter people from seeking dental care.

Primary care coverage

A Another challenge to dental care is the priority given to primary health care coverage. The Canadian health care system is heavily focused on primary health care such as general health care and eye care, and funding for dental care is often overlooked. People with dental problems may have difficulty accessing dental services due to this funding imbalance.

Social inequalities

The fourth problem is linked to social inequalities. People with higher incomes generally have better access to dental care than those with lower incomes. Vulnerable members of society, such as the elderly and children, as well as those living in precarious situations (for example, those who are homeless), may have difficulty obtaining dental care.

Indigenous Canadians face unique challenges in dental care. Indigenous communities in Canada have higher rates of decay than the national average, and dental care is often inaccessible or ill-suited to their needs. Socio-economic factors, lack of dentists in elo communitiesigneous diseases and funding issues are all issues.

The final issue to consider is resistance to evidence-based dentistry. Although dentistry is not an exact science, dental care is increasingly based on solid evidence. However, dentists may be reluctant to integrate new evidence into their practice, in part because it may lead to changes in their practice. Quality dental care is therefore not always available to patients.