How much does having dental insurance influence whether a person living in Canada visits a dentist? Researchers used data from Statistics Canada to explore this question and to help create a baseline of oral health care disparities before the implementation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). One study, which used data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, found that children and youth with dental insurance were 3 times more likely to see a dentist than those who were uninsured. Another study, which used data from the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey, found that about half of adults without insurance (49.8%) had visited a dentist in the last year and 47.4% of uninsured adults avoided dental care because of cost. These reports, published by Statistics Canada in April 2024, highlight the gap in access to oral health care between insured and uninsured Canadians. They also provide a benchmark for future assessment of whether the CDCP is effective in addressing oral health disparities. Statistics Canada Data: Access to Care for Insured vs. Uninsured After adjustment for other sociodemographic variables, children and youth with dental insurance were nearly 3 times more likely to have visited a dental professional in the past 12 months than those without insurance. 23 Issue 4 | 2024 |
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