Dental care providers seek answers amid soft launch of federal dental program – Insurance Business
Jan 02, 2024
Canadian seniors have begun receiving invites to sign up for the federal government’s free dental care. Dental service providers are raising concerns about whether the program will be administratively and financially viable.
“If our questions aren’t answered and our concerns aren’t addressed, I don’t know if dentists are going to want to sign up for this program,” said Dr. Brock Nicolucci, president of the Ontario Dental Association.
Nicolucci noted existing public dental care programs that compensate dentists often require so much paperwork, making the procedures challenging for dental clinics, especially those with a shortage of support and administrative staff.
Ondina Love, CEO of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association, said hygienists have been told they can sign up for the program in February and shared dental care providers meet weekly with federal officials to discuss the specifics of the plan.
