Almost one-quarter of Canadians avoided the dentist over cost: StatCan

Canadians say cost remains a significant barrier for them to access dental care, with some avoiding a dentist visit for as long as a year.

More than one in four Canadians 12 years and older did not visit an oral health-care provider in the span of 12 months, new data from Statistics Canada shows.

And cost was a key factor behind that aversion.

The data, released Wednesday, came from the Canadian Oral Health Survey which collected information from Canadians from November 2023 until March 2024.

It found that overall, 28 per cent completely avoided a dentist for the span of a year.

In addition, 21 per cent of Canadians reported avoiding recommended dental treatment for the same reason.

Young adults 18 to 34 were the highest age group to report not visiting a dentist due to cost at 32 per cent. But the data showed women in this age group were more likely than men to avoid a visit, with 38 per cent not making a visit compared to 27 per cent of men.

Among racialized Canadians, 33 per cent were more likely to avoid a dental visit and 22 per cent of persons with disabilities showed avoidance.

The StatCan data utilized information collected just before the Canadian Dental Care Plan was rolled out in December 2023. However, while data did include the first four months of the plan, as of March 2024 only seniors aged 70 and up were eligible to apply.