More than 1 in 3 Canadians went a year without dental visit: Statistics Canada – CTV
Nov. 7, 2023
More than one-third of Canadians reported not seeing a dentist in the past year, according to a new Statistics Canada report.
Based on data from the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey, it also found that roughly the same number of respondents, or 35 per cent, lacked dental insurance coverage while nearly one quarter avoided dental care due to costs.
The findings come as the federal government works to create a new national dental insurance plan that will cover up to nine million people with family incomes of less than $90,000. A key demand from the NDP in its supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals, $13 billion is earmarked for the plan over the next five years, with coverage expected to begin by the end of 2023.
Just 55 per cent of Canadians have private dental insurance through an employer, university or other means, according to the Statistics Canada data, while four per cent currently have coverage through a public government-paid plan. Of those with insurance, 76 per cent saw a dental professional in the past 12 months, compared with 51 per cent of people without coverage.
