On December 11, 2023, the Government of Canada provided an update on the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). The CDCP was created to help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for eligible Canadian residents.
To qualify for the CDCP, the following criteria must be met:
- no access to dental insurance;
- an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000;
- be a Canadian resident for tax purposes; and
- have filed a tax return in the previous year.
Eligible Canadians will receive a letter in the mail inviting them to enroll according to the schedule below. It is expected that those enrolled in the CDCP can start seeing an oral health provider in May 2024.
| Group | Application Open |
|---|---|
| Seniors aged 87 and above | Starting December 2023 |
| Seniors aged 77 to 86 | Starting January 2024 |
| Seniors aged 72 to 76 | Starting February 2024 |
| Seniors aged 70 to 71 | Starting March 2024 |
| Seniors aged 65 to 69 | Starting May 2024 |
| Adults with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate | Starting June 2024 |
| Children under the age of 18 | Starting June 2024 |
| All remaining eligible Canadian residents | Starting 2025 |
For more information, please visit the CDCP webpage.
For Registered Dental Hygienists: You will be able to enroll, on a voluntary basis, as a participating CDCP provider directly with Sun Life (contracted to manage the CDCP on behalf of the Government of Canada) in early 2024. Stay tuned for more information!