Awareness, support, and motivation surrounding the Canadian Dental Care Plan

Pre-implementation survey data show 42.7% of Canadian residents had heard of the Canadian Dental Care Plan, while 81.5% supported it nationally despite low awareness.

• Why it matters: The study addresses uncertainty about whether low-income-focused dental coverage is understood and backed before rollout, which affects how effectively the plan may reach people needing care.
• What they did: Using a national cross-sectional public opinion survey (2,250 participants) from urban and rural/remote communities, researchers analyzed baseline awareness, support, and motivators with sociodemographic covariates (p ≤ 0.05).
• The result: Support was higher among those without dental insurance and varied by region, while uninsured respondents were more likely to apply when they reported good understanding, proximity to an oral health professional, and urgent dental needs.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.