The NL Dental Association expects a huge increase in their number of patients as more people join the Canadian Dental Care Plan, creating a greater need for dental staffing.
The President of the NL Dental Association, Dr. Shane Roberts, says they expect that by the end of 2024 up to 97,000 people could be eligible for the program in the first phase of its rollout.
Roberts says that’s a concern for members in light of current staffing shortages.
He says there is a shortage of dental assistants and hygienists across the country. He says while Ottawa has indicated that it is willing to help by conducting surveys and identifying areas of need, but “quite frankly, that takes years to bring up trained staffing levels.”
He says within the next decade, they expect up to 50 per cent of senior dentists in this province will retire. That’s why the NLDA has been working on improving the recruitment and retention of oral health care providers in this province, particularly in rural NL.
