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 applicants to be either wrongly deemed ineligible or assigned an incorrect co-payment amount.
Of those affected, the department said that as of Oct. 3, 2025, approximately 28,000 members had received dental care. CTV News also reported that about 27,000 active members were found to be ineligible, and another 43,000 will have a higher co-payment level.
However, Health Canada said the system issue has been fixed. Starting Oct. 17, it began notifying affected individuals about the changes, with new eligibility or co-payment levels taking effect Oct. 24.
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No need to pay difference
Those who already accessed dental care under the plan will not have to repay any difference.
“Impacted individuals will not need to repay the difference in co-payment nor any amounts covered by the CDCP for dental care received prior to Oct. 24, 2025,” the department said in its statement.
The CDCP currently provides coverage to more than 5.5 million Canadians, and more than three million have already accessed care — saving an average of about $800 annually, according to Health Canada.
“As Canadians’ eligibility under the CDCP may change over the course of a benefit period, it is important for CDCP members and oral health providers to validate coverage under the plan at each visit and before providing and billing for services or treatments,” the department advised.
So far, Health Canada has not yet provided a detailed public account of how the miscalculation occurred, or a full breakdown of how many applicants were deemed ineligible versus those assigned an incorrect co-payment level.