Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest percentage of dentists signed on to the new national dental care program.
According to numbers from Health Canada that were recently published by the CBC, 87 per cent of dentists in Newfoundland and Labrador have signed on to the new program.
That compares to the 74 per cent average across Canada and less than 50 per cent in New Brunswick and the Territories.
The numbers are slightly different however when it comes to the number of people who have signed on to access care.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, that number is on par with the national average according to dental hygienist, Nicole Kielly, but the reasons why more people aren’t taking advantage of the program remains a mystery.
She says 12,000 have accessed care, however, 30,000 people who are eligible have not, and they’re not sure if that’s because people are not aware that they are eligible, or if they’ve signed on, but haven’t been able to get the care they need at participating clinics.