Dental care: unequal access to the new Canadian regime

The new federal dental care plan takes another step forward on Thursday, when in addition to seniors, all Canadians under the age of 18 are now eligible. But the shortage of professionals outside urban centers is already creating two classes of beneficiaries: those who can sit in a dentist’s chair and those who are not even able to make an appointment.

This is the case in Gaspésie, where finding a dentist is a feat. And with the new regime, waiting lists are only getting longer in clinics where names are still being added.

new requests per week from people who call me who need prostheses. It’s unimaginable”,”text”:”I’ve already reached 100 new requests per week from people calling me who need prostheses. It’s unimaginable”}}”>I’ve already reached 100 new requests per week from people calling me who need prosthetics. It’s unimaginableexclaims denturologist Lise Fillion, as the phone rings louder behind her. I don’t answer. I don’t answer the phone because I’ll have to turn them down.

Here, the fact that there is a program or not makes no difference. There are not the professionals needed to meet the demand.

The denturist, who has been established in Matane for 10 years, has decided to register with the Canadian Dental Care Plan, but not before December, she indicates on her answering machine. By counting her messages, she estimates that her diary would already be full until October 2025 if she agreed to take on all the patients who contact her.

Lise Fillion feels under attack since the influx of new patients comes at a time when the labor shortage is worsening in Gaspésie. years, so we will drop to 5 soon, over a very large territory”,”text”:”In 2018, there were 16 of us, then there are 10, half of whom are over 65, so we will drop to 5 soon, over a very large territory”}}”>In 2018, there were 16 of us, then there are 10 of us, half of whom are over 65, so we will drop to 5 soon, over a very large area. she explains.

200 km from Matane, Dr. Karine Martin makes the same observation. The dentist will offer the plan starting in July at the Baie des Chaleurs Dental Clinic in New Richmond, but only to her patients; the others will have to wait.

We take names, but saying: “We hope to get to you at some point but we don’t know when.”

And the list grows day by day. For dental prostheses, we are still taking the names, but we are saying that it will take two, three yearsshe notes.

Like her colleagues, she believes in the importance of the plan, even if she is well aware that not everyone who is eligible will have the chance to benefit from it. It will perhaps allow more people to seek treatment in the city, so much the better, we are happy, but here it will not change muchdeplores the dentist.

Canadian Dental Care Plan

The great seduction of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts

In Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, in Haute-Gaspésie, the situation is not very different. Since the retirement of its last dentist, the community has been in a seduction operation. The mayor himself has thrown out several lines to attract a dentist over the past four years, but catches have been rare.

It was 100% of our population who had to go into exile to receive dental care.

Everything was put in place to keep an eye on candidates, even going so far as to acquire the former dentist’s clinic. CISSS Gaspésie, so there is no administration to do, no accounting, no human resources management to do, everything is handled by the CISSS Gaspésie”,”text”:”So, the community dental clinic is the property of the CISSS Gaspésie, so there is no administration to do, no accounting, no human resources management to do, everything is assured by the CISSS Gaspésie”}}”>Therefore, the community dental clinic is the property of the CISSS Gaspésie, then there is no administration to do, no accounting, no human resources management to do, everything is ensured by the CISSS Gaspésieexplains Mayor Simon Deschênes.

We therefore promise less paperwork to make ourselves attractive, but success is not immediate. months before finding our first dentist”,”text”:”It took 8 to 12 months before finding our first dentist”}}”>It took 8 to 12 months to find our first dentistadmits the mayor.

At first, there were only traveling dentists who stopped for a week, sometimes two, to treat patients. Over time, the next generation was willing to put down their bags. dentists per year”,”text”:”We started with zero dentists, and now we have 2.5 dentists per year”}}”>We started with zero dentists, and now we have 2.5 dentists per year.welcomes Simon Deschênes.

Is it perfect? No, but we are on the right track.

No short-term solution

The problem is known, says federal minister Jean-Yves Duclos, while being obliged to admit that the new regime has accentuated it. There is the challenge of accessibility and we experience it very, very hard in rural and remote regions in Quebec, in northern New Brunswick, in northern Ontario.lists the Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

To help regions across the country facing the same problem, the government will invest $250 million over three years under the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Money in the form of grants, where everyone will have to fight to get their share of the pie. : the first is to train more dental care specialists, dentists, hygienists and to encourage them to settle in the regions”,”text”:”There are two objectives: the first is to train more dental care specialists, dentists, hygienists and encourage them to settle in the region”}}”>There are two objectives: the first is to train more dental care specialists, dentists, hygienists and to encourage them to settle in the regions.explains Minister Duclos.

But the Bloc member for Avignon–La Mitis–Matane–Matapédia criticizes the government for having ignored the reality of her region and many others in the country before launching the regime. We often have the impression of being second-class citizens and, indeed, with dental care, this is somewhat what happens toodeplores Kristina Michaud.

In the meantime, on the ground, the dental plan remains inaccessible to many Canadians. These are more long-term solutions in the immediate future, I have colleagues who will retire soon and who have no replacementconcludes Dr. Karine Martin.