Nova Scotia dentists applaud Ottawa's $13B plan, but worry about influx of patients
Dentists overworked and practices understaffed, says president of dental association
Dentists in Nova Scotia are applauding Ottawa's new $13-billion dental care program, but say they are concerned about how an influx of patients could affect an already overworked and understaffed industry.
The federal insurance plan will cover routine dentistry costs for kids under 18 and some seniors who meet a certain income threshold starting in 2024, before expanding to all eligible low- and middle-income Canadians in 2025.
Dr. Juli Waterbury, who is the president of the Nova Scotia Dental Association, runs a private practice in Kentville.
"The reality for many Nova Scotia dentists is that right now we're busy," Waterbury told CBC Nova Scotia News At Six on Tuesday.
"Some Nova Scotia dentists are currently not accepting any new patients, and so opening this up to a significant portion of the population might further complicate patients and Nova Scotia's ability to access care in a timely manner."
Waterbury said the association expects an influx of 130,000 Nova Scotians accessing dental care next year, and as many as 270,000 by 2025.
"Those are big numbers for a system that's already very, very busy and understaffed," she said, adding that there currently aren't enough dental assistants or hygienists to ensure offices run efficiently.
She said the association has estimated that by 2025, the province will need an additional 40 dental hygienists and another 70 dental assistants to handle the influx — on top of the existing shortage.
More questions than answers
Waterbury said she's also concerned employers could start dropping dental care from their workplace benefits programs.
She said employers need to maintain existing dental insurance plans, because it's not clear what will be covered by the new program.
"We know the great coverage that Nova Scotians have access to right now and we don't want to see that change for people," she said.
Dr. Ben Davis, dean of faculty of dentistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said there are still a lot of questions about how the program will be implemented, so it's unclear how many dentists will choose to enrol.
"It is going to require that a dentist agrees to the terms of the program and the payment schedule of the program, so there very well could be private practitioners that don't wish to again engage in the new program," Davis told CBC Radio's Maritime Noon.
"But by every stretch, in every scenario, the vast majority of this new federal plan is going to be administered by private practitioners in their private offices."
Davis added that dentistry and dental hygiene schools may need to increase the number of seats they have, but it will depend on the uptake of the program by private practices.
It would also require significant investment, he said.
"These programs … they can't expand overnight. It would be a year, sometimes two or longer, for us to build the infrastructure and for us to actually get new programs or expand new programs from where they are right now," he said.
He said the phased approach to the program will allow the industry to better understand what's exactly needed of dentists and hygienists.
Even with questions remaining, Davis said he's grateful for the federal government's decision to "invest in the oral health of Canadians."
"We have millions of Canadians who are not able to eat, who live in pain, who have serious oral health issues that sometimes results in them being admitted to hospital and having to go to the operating room, so it's just not appropriate to not provide Canadians with access to affordable or free oral health care."
With files from CBC Nova Scotia News At Six, Maritime Noon
