(l to r) Dr. Lesli Hapak, Dr. Jason Noel, MP Maggie Chi, Dr. Bryan Kwak, Irem Turken For the first time, Days on the Hill’s delegation included deans of Canadian dental schools and a newly graduated dentist, Dr. Bryan Kwak, who could speak firsthand to the realities of dental training. Dental Workforce Challenges “One of our main talking points this year was human resources shortages,” Dr. Preston says. “And it’s not unique to dentistry. You see it across the board, among the trades, restaurant workers, everywhere. There is a significant shortage of workers across the country, and dentistry is feeling it too.” The CDA delegation explained that workforce shortages affect the roles that keep dental offices running day to day. “About 50% of dental offices across Canada report some vacancy, particularly in assisting,” Dr. Ward says. He told MPs that the problem isn’t just recruitment— it’s the training and educational pipeline. CDA’s ask of the government was to include certified dental assistants in the postgraduate work permit program and to explore tools like loan forgiveness to strengthen the workforce where it’s needed most. “What we told MPs is that there are enough dentists in Canada to care for the population,” Dr. Ward says. “But there’s a distribution problem. You find concentrations in the big urban areas, while outlying areas have access problems. It would be great to have a way to inspire dentists to move to underserved areas.” Loan forgiveness tied to service was also suggested as a possible solution for dentists. In late December 2025, the federal government made dentists, dental hygienists and other professionals, eligible for Canada Student Loan forgiveness if they work in underserved rural or remote areas. “This is a major win for the oral health of Canadians,” says Dr. Ward. Unintended Consequence of CDCP for Dental Education For the first time, Days on the Hill’s delegation included deans of Canadian dental schools and a newly graduated dentist, Dr. Bryan Kwak, who could speak firsthand to the realities of dental training. “The CDCP was implemented just as my fellow classmates and I entered the clinical portion of our training in third year, at the exact stage when hands-on experience is essential,” says Dr. Kwak. “Declining patient volumes, long preauthorization delays, and frequent denials, all due to the CDCP, made it harder to complete clinical requirements and graduate ready for practice.” Alongside him, Dr. Walter Siqueira, dean of the College of Dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan, and Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, dean of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba, explained the broader unintended consequences for dental education: fewer patients are choosing to be treated at teaching clinics now that they can access care elsewhere and a preauthorization process that can derail the procedures students need to complete their education. “One of the outcomes of this year’s Days on the Hill event was building a relationship with the deans,” Dr. Preston says. “They’ve got their own set of issues— funding, CDCP, the preauthorization process. It was educational to learn from them about their part of the oral health landscape.” For Dr. Kwak, the most urgent message to bring to Parliament Hill began with something basic: paperwork. “CDCP preauthorizations had to be sent by mail,” he says. “It took many months to get a response.” In dental school, he explained, treatment plans are built early in the year around procedures such as crowns, partial dentures, and complete dentures, which require CDCP 10 | 2026 | Issue 1 CDA at Work
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