The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is closing out 2025 — the year it completed its national rollout — with what the federal government is calling a major milestone. By late November, nearly six million Canadians had enrolled in the program, according to Health Canada. More than 27,000 oral health providers are now participating, and … Read more
Dental treatment facilities serving U.S. service members are set to undergo a closer review of their accreditation status after the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Dec. 17, advancing a provision backed by the American Dental Association (ADA). The annual defence policy bill — approved by the House of Representatives earlier … Read more
Patients with dental pain and complex oral health needs are expected to find it easier to secure urgent appointments under sweeping reforms to England’s NHS dental contract, with dentists set to receive higher, more targeted payments beginning next year. The UK government confirmed Tuesday it will overhaul how NHS dentistry is paid and delivered following … Read more
At a sentencing hearing Friday, Crown prosecutor Greg Whiteside told court that Calgary dentist Alena Smadych could receive a prison sentence of up to three years after admitting she submitted nearly $684,348.10 in falsified dental-insurance claims between 2013 and 2023, different media outlets reported. Smadych, 55, previously owned All About Family Dental — once identified … Read more
As of Monday, dental hygienists in the Northwest Territories now have the legal right to practise without supervision by a dentist, its government announced. Under the first phase of the newly enacted Dental Hygiene Profession Regulations — a change anticipated since 2023. Previously, all dental hygienists had to operate under the direction and control of … Read more
NDP Leader Marit Stiles pressed the Ontario government Monday over why a dentist with alleged personal ties to Premier Doug Ford received $2 million through the province’s Skills Development Fund (SDF). During Question Period, Stiles asked the premier to explain “why his close personal friend and dentist… got $2 million from this government,” saying images … Read more
The New Brunswick Dental Society says staffing shortages are undermining the full impact of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), with some patients now waiting up to 10 months for routine care. In an interview with local outlet Country94, executive director Paul Blanchard said about 85 to 90 per cent of dentists in the province … Read more
A coalition of nursing and other health care organizations are angry over a Trump administration plan that could limit access to student loans in some cases. Students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy, public health and some other fields would face tighter federal student loan limits under the plan because it doesn’t consider them … Read more
Health Canada has announced more than $35 million in funding for 30 projects across 22 post-secondary institutions to improve dental training, expand outreach and strengthen access to oral-health services nationwide. The funding—delivered over three years through the Oral Health Access Fund (OHAF)—is designed to support and complement the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) by improving … Read more
A Halifax provincial court judge on Thursday has acquitted the 83-year-old retired pediatric dentist Dr. Errol Gaum of assaulting four child patients for incidents alleged to have occurred in the 1970s and ’80s. The allegations gained public attention after former patients created a Facebook group titled The victims of Dr. ERROL GAUM (public), which had … Read more
A 36-year-old British man has died in Istanbul after undergoing both a hair transplant and dental treatment during a week-long trip to Turkey, according to local reports. Mentor Rama, who arrived in the city last week, first received a hair transplant at a clinic in Istanbul’s Fulya district before attending a dental appointment the following … Read more
A United Nations environmental body has decided to phase out the use of mercury — including dental amalgam — by 2034, as part of its broader effort to curb mercury pollution worldwide. The sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, administered by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), was held Nov. … Read more
British soldiers are being warned not to travel abroad for so-called “Turkey teeth” procedures, which could render them medically unfit for deployment, the Daily Mail reported. Army dentists have urged service members to avoid cheap cosmetic treatments promoted on social media by influencers. The procedures — which involve filing down natural teeth and fitting veneers … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday moved to limit the use of fluoride supplements used to strengthen children’s teeth, the latest action by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his deputies against a chemical that is a mainstay of dental care. The FDA said that the products are no longer recommended for children younger than 3 and those who … Read more
“Educational standards save lives,” and “Raise standards, don’t erase them,” read the signs carried by about 50 dental hygienists who gathered in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 25. The demonstration, organized by the non-profit Oral Health Awareness Projec (OHAP), took place during the American Dental Association’s SmileCon and 2025 House of Delegates meeting to bring wider … Read more
An investigation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) — including one reporter who obtained a fraudulent teeth-whitening qualification — has revealed serious breaches in the regulation of teeth-whitening services in the United Kingdom. Investigators found bleaching gels offered on social-media platforms and delivered in car parks or to doorsteps, some containing hydrogen-peroxide concentrations of up … Read more
Health Canada has provided more than $4 million to eight of Canada’s 10 dental faculties to help sustain student clinical training, amid reports of fewer patients since the launch of the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). “Health Canada launched a targeted call for proposals to faculties of dentistry to help them address an immediate … Read more
A new Ontario bill promising a “more competitive economy” could make it easier for health professionals — including dentists, dental hygienists and dental technologists — from across Canada to work in the province. The Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025 — also known as Bill 56 — was introduced in the Ontario Legislature on … Read more
Health Canada says it has corrected an “error” in the income assessment portion of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) that affected about one per cent of active members — roughly 70,000 people — whose eligibility or dental co-payment levels were miscalculated. During eligibility processing, a calculation error in how income was assessed caused some … Read more
The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that resistance to common antibiotics continues to rise worldwide, with “one in six” lab-confirmed bacterial infections in 2023 showing resistance to treatment. Between 2018 and 2023, resistance increased in over 40 per cent of the pathogen–antibiotic combinations WHO tracks, with average annual rises of 5 to 15 per … Read more