First nationwide survey: Most oral well being suppliers can deal with improve in CDCP sufferers

Most oral well being care suppliers report they’ll proceed offering care inside one month, regardless of the anticipated improve in sufferers below the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), which is anticipated so as to add 4.5 million extra sufferers, a latest survey printed by the federal government on Wednesday exhibits.

“Regardless of the anticipated improve in demand, most practices nonetheless anticipate to offer care inside one month.”

The Survey of Oral Well being Care Suppliers (SOHCP) is the “first” nationwide ballot that sheds gentle on the human assets, administrative, and monetary challenges confronted by oral well being care suppliers. The survey was performed between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. Up to now, the federal dental program has allowed 1.7 million Canadians to entry dental care.

The newly launched knowledge exhibits that almost all oral well being care practices reported having human assets points (80%) and operational challenges (75%). Nonetheless, the survey concluded that practices are nonetheless ready to deal with extra sufferers.

“Regardless of the anticipated improve in demand, most practices nonetheless anticipate to offer care inside one month,” the federal government mentioned. The survey additionally revealed that “one in 4 oral well being care practices see new sufferers for non-urgent dental care in lower than one week.”

Nonetheless, the survey didn’t supply insights on city vs. distant disparities.

The complete survey additionally consists of different knowledge factors, offering a broader view of the present state of oral well being care practices throughout Canada. For instance, three in 4 (75%) practices confronted operational challenges, with the most typical points being administrative, monetary, and patient-related issues. Dentists (76%) and unbiased dental hygienists (75%) had been extra prone to report these challenges in comparison with denturists (68%).

Listed below are the highest figures from the survey:

1. Over half of practices report a median wait time for present sufferers of 1 week to lower than one month.
2. Over half (55%) of oral well being care practices can supply a brand new affected person an appointment inside one week to lower than one month for non-urgent care. One in 4 (25%) supply appointments in lower than one week, whereas 15% can see sufferers inside one to 3 months.
3. Problem recruiting expert workers was probably the most cited human assets problem with 64% of dentist, 50% of unbiased dental hygienist, and 37% of denturist places of work.
4. 31% of practices plan to broaden their operations throughout the subsequent two years.
5. 96% of practices are nonetheless accepting new sufferers.