The federal Health Minister says 75 per cent of dentists and oral specialists in Canada have jumped on board Ottawa’s new dental care program.

In an update provided yesterday, Minister Mark Holland says nearly 450,000 Canadians have benefited from the program since enrollment began in May.

Dentists across Canada, including those in this province, were hesitant to provide care under the program due to concerns over administrative burden.

In just over three months, the Canadian Dental Care Plan is already having a transformational impact on the lives of Canadians by making care more accessible and affordable. 🦷🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/PbObhYRkGs

— Mark Holland (@markhollandlib) August 7, 2024

Holland says they’ve been working with providers to alleviate some of those concerns, with the result being more dentists signing on to the plan.

Since the creation of a claim-by-claim process, Holland says enrollment has exploded. “More than 6,500 providers have participated in the program using claim by claim,” he said. “That takes us to 19,000 providers across the country who are providing services to Canadians.”