Trusted Voice
Improving Access to Care
We’re committed to making the federal government’s Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) work better for you and your patients through active advocacy and tangible improvements.
- CDCP Advocacy Wins: Our advocacy has secured key CDCP improvements—like an alternative pathway for providers, the ability to balance bill, and expanded services—and we continue to push for sustainable funding, less red tape, and fair oversight.
- Other Advocacy for Dentists and Patients: Beyond the CDCP, we continue to advocate for national issues like dental product tariff exemptions, responsible food marketing to children, and fair tax policies.
- Improving Oral Health in Indigenous Communities: The CDA has been advocating for improved oral health among Canada’s First Nations for over 35 years, including calls for greater investments to enhance access to dental care and clean drinking water in Indigenous communities.
- Representation on the Hill: We champion key dental priorities through Federal Budget submissions and our annual Days on the Hill event to keep oral health on the national agenda.
- Addressing Dental Assisting Workforce Challenges: Dental hygienists and dental assistants are the glue that hold dental offices together. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a looming shortage of dental assistants existed—a significant obstacle to meeting the oral health needs of Canadians. The CDA continues to actively engage key decision-makers on this issue and its impact on the delivery of oral health care across Canada.
- Extended Health Care Benefits for Canadian Businesses: The CDA recognizes the importance of extended health care services and the essential role they play in supporting the ongoing health and well-being of Canadians. We advocate for the federal government to collaborate with stakeholders to explore ways to incentivize employers and plan sponsors to maintain or enhance extended health care benefits. Similar incentives should also be considered for Canadians who choose to sponsor their own benefits.
Learn more about CDA’s advocacy activities and our ongoing efforts to support dental professionals and improve oral health care across the nation.
Valued Source of Information
The CDA captures, organizes, and disseminates information about oral health and the dental profession through its social media presence and other key communication vehicles.
- CDA Essentials – CDA's official print and online publication, connecting the national association with the dental community through the delivery of news, issues, and clinically relevant content, published in English and French.
- CDA Oasis – our blog and video-interview platform that keeps dentists up-to-date on current or emerging clinical matters, issues, and technology impacting the dental profession.
- CDA Newsletter— a weekly digital newsletter that features items from all CDA’s communications vehicles/publications, including videos and web posts, journal and magazine articles, and the latest content from the CDA’s website and social media channels in one convenient location.
- Journal of the Canadian Dental Association (JCDA): Canada’s only peer-reviewed dental journal, JCDA. is an open-access publication that publishes original research articles indexed in Medline, Journal Citation Reports, and Science Citation Index.
- Environmental Scan: The CDA conducts an Environmental Scan that analyzes key political, economic, social, technological, and health care trends—including the impacts of the CDCP—to help dentists and PTDAs understand current and future challenges and opportunities for the profession.
- CDA on Social Media: The CDA is active on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Follow us, “like” and “share” our content to stay informed and help amplify CDA’s national voice. You will receive regular updates on oral health promotion and dentistry from a national perspective—right in your newsfeed.
Benefit from Access to Prestige Programs and Resources
- The CDA hosts ISO/TC 106 and acts as its international secretariat, giving Canadian dental experts a voice in shaping global standards for better health.
- CDA’s Dental Career Options website (dentalcareeroptions.ca) helps students and early-career dentists explore diverse career paths in the profession.
- The CDA Seal Program independently verifies oral health product claims, giving Canadians confidence that products with the CDA Seal meet rigorous scientific standards — a trust mark we have upheld for over 50 years.
