Health Minister Mark Holland says more than four-fifths of dental providers are now participating in his government's dental-care program, and some 600,000 Canadians have taken advantage of it.
Every kid in Canada should be able to go to the dentist — whether their family has coverage or not.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 9, 2024
We created the Canadian Dental Care Plan so everyone can get the care they need.pic.twitter.com/Awwx4MWLoJ
The update comes a month after the minister touted a 75 per cent participation rate.
Uptake was in doubt earlier this summer, when less than half of dentists, hygienists and denturists had registered to offer care and associations warned there were flaws in the program's design.
Holland rejigged the process in July so dental offices could skip registering in advance and process individual claims instead.
The government began taking claims for seniors in May, and has since expanded eligibility for the program to qualifying children under the age of 18 and people who qualify for a disability tax credit.
Universal dental care was a headline promise in the Liberals' now-defunct agreement with the NDP, in which New Democrats had agreed to support the minority government in exchange for progress on certain policies.
