Canada’s total dental benefit payments exceed Health Canada’s budget commitment by approximately CAD 1.1 billion.

Source: "Canadian Dental Care Plan"

DentalGoodNews｜On October 29, 2026, Canadian Auditor General Karen Hogan submitted the audit report on the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) to the House of Commons. The report noted that Health Canada effectively managed the plan, enabling eligible residents to access more affordable dental care; however, in the first two years after the plan's launch, total dental benefit payments exceeded Health Canada's budget commitment by approximately CAD 1.1 billion (approximately RMB 5.256 billion).

As of March 2026, approximately 6.9 million members were enrolled in the CDCP, with about 61% of members having used benefits. In 2025, members who used benefits paid an average of CAD 264 out of pocket, compared with average household spending of CAD 536 in Statistics Canada's most recent comparable data; approximately 560,000 members incurred no out-of-pocket costs in 2025. As of March 31, 2026, more than 27,000 oral health care providers had participated in the plan.

On funding, Health Canada addressed overspending by reallocating funds across fiscal years. Projections from the Office of the Chief Actuary of Canada show that payments from fiscal 2026-27 to 2031-32 are expected to exceed currently available funds, and the Office of the Auditor General noted that cross-fiscal-year reallocation is only a temporary measure. The plan originated from the 2023 federal budget, with the government committing CAD 13 billion over five years starting in fiscal 2023-24, and CAD 4.4 billion annually thereafter, with the budget covering benefit payments and administrative costs.

Source: "Canadian Dental Care Plan"

On oversight, for six months during fiscal 2025-26, Health Canada did not verify whether claims and pre-authorization decisions were accurate and compliant with its rules, reducing its assurance that members received the coverage they were entitled to. In 2025, only 16% of pre-authorization decisions were communicated within the three-business-day service standard, rising to 56% in early 2026; some pre-authorization denials did not clearly state the reasons. In addition, Health Canada lacks comparable oral health information for members before and after enrollment, making it difficult to determine whether the plan can improve members' oral health over the long term.

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada recommended that Health Canada conduct ongoing, regular quality assurance of Sun Life's claims and pre-authorization assessments, and assess groups with low enrollment and low utilization, adjusting measures as appropriate to remove access barriers, including for children in provincial and territorial care. The Office of the Auditor General stated that approximately 61,000 children in care nationwide currently cannot access the benefit.