The province’s dental association says most of their members are unsure if they’ll participate in the federal government’s new dental plan.

NLDA President Dr. Shane Roberts says they’ve heard from a number of dentists lately, with most in the “maybe” pile when it comes to opting in.

Dr. Roberts says those who intend not to opt in are doing so because of the additional costs and administrative burden.

He says there are a number of concerns for staff and patients at clinics who choose to opt in.

He says there will be questions as to who the dentists enrolled will be willing to see. Some may choose to accept new patients, whereas others may only treat current clientele. There are also concerns of what treatments they would provide as procedures like root canals involve a lot more paperwork than a routine check-up.

He believes changes to the billing process would entice more professionals to jump on board.

Dr. Roberts believes if direct billing to Health Canada was possible, similar to how things are with insurance providers, patients could see their dentist of choice and be reimbursed without putting strain on the admin staff.