Minister of Health makes CDCP announcement at U of T Faculty of Dentistry clinic

600,000 Canadians have already received care under CDCP

By Rachel Boutet

The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, and James Maloney, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, visited the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry clinics on Monday to announce the launch of an ad campaign in support of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).

More than 2.4 million Canadians have been approved to receive coverage under the CDCP and more than 600,000 of them have already received care. Each year, the Faculty of Dentistry treats more than 15,000 patients experiencing barriers to accessing dental care by providing costs that are dramatically lower than that of private practice.

The announcement took place in the Clinic 2, the Faculty’s next project for upgrading. Minister Holland and MP Maloney were able to tour the Faculty’s facilities, including the preclinical lab which just underwent a renovation.

“We are grateful to mark the CDCP as an important step for oral health care in Canada,” says Laura Tam, the Faculty of Dentistry’s interim dean. “As we provide care for even more patients, it’s essential to garner support for the space in which we treat them. We are constantly making updates to our facilities to help us maintain our excellence in research and patient care, while providing the best training for our students.”

The CDCP will make dental care more affordable for up to nine million Canadians, who are currently without insurance. The CDCP is currently open to eligible seniors, adults with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate, and children under 18, and covers services like cleaning, fillings, dentures, and more – so Canadians pay less for healthy teeth.

“Since May, the CDCP has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Canadians by making oral health care more accessible and affordable,” says Holland. “Each day, more patients are benefiting from the work of dedicated oral health providers.”

The Government of Canada is encouraging all eligible Canadians to apply now. Applications for all remaining eligible Canadians will begin in 2025.

Top photo: The Minster talking to students at the Faculty of Dentistry (Jeff Comber)