Thank you, Chair and committee.
Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Dr. Amrinderbir Singh. I'm the current president of the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry. I'm also an assistant professor and the director of inclusive community outreach at the College of Dentistry, University of Saskatchewan.
I am extremely honoured to be invited today to represent the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry, which I'll refer to as CAPHD, as a witness before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in view of its study of Bill C-59. The CAPHD is the national voice for dental public health in Canada and exists to support members, government, institutions and agencies dedicated to improving oral health and assuring oral health equity for Canadians.
First of all, on behalf of CAPHD, I would like to applaud and acknowledge the tremendous efforts made by the federal government in the latest phase of the development of the Canadian dental care plan. This unprecedented initiative will enable many of our equity-deserving Canadians to access much-needed oral health care, potentially improving their overall health and well-being while decreasing the burden of oral disease in Canada.
The CAPHD promotes and advocates for equitable oral health care for all Canadians. We will continue working with the government, partner organizations and our membership to support the CDCP and advocate strongly for its uptake and utilization across Canada.
The CAPHD is closely following the phased rollout of the CDCP and eagerly awaits early reports regarding plan enrolment and utilization. Our association believes that it is critical for the CDCP to remain responsive to the evolving needs of Canadians. Continuous evaluation of the CDCP will be important for informing data-driven policy adjustments, and interdisciplinary collaborations will be vital for enhancing the CDCP's effectiveness. As the plan matures, the CAPHD looks forward to more emphasis on preventive services for caries and periodontal diseases. This includes upstream services that increase oral health literacy, such as oral health education and counselling and the encouragement of interventions addressing the microbiology of dental decay and gum disease.
To encourage more health care providers to support the plan and increase access to care for underserved Canadians, the CAPHD proposes alignment of the CDCP fees with the existing provincial fee guides in the future. We believe that harmonized compensation rates will encourage more providers to participate in the plan.
Additionally, the CAPHD would like clarification on how health care providers can coordinate benefits for individuals eligible under more than one public insurance plan, be it federal, provincial, territorial or municipal. This clarification is essential to streamline the processes for health care providers and ease the financial burden for eligible individuals, which aligns with the CAPHD's preference for minimizing out-of-pocket expenses for patients.
By addressing these key areas, the CAPHD aims to encourage greater provider participation in the plan and support a sustainable model of care. Success in these endeavours is contingent upon the active involvement of health care providers, equity-deserving communities and high-risk populations. The CAPHD commits to advocating for enrolment strategies that actively engage all crucial stakeholders and promote provider enrolment within its membership. These collaborative efforts may enhance the plan's reach and impact and support Canadians in accessing the oral health care they need.
However, I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that access-to-care barriers are complex and multi-dimensional, especially for rural and remote communities and high-risk population groups. If I may, I will extend that to include inner-city areas. Hence, in future planning, we urge the government to consider investing more resources to address the access-to-care barriers.
Again, the CAPHD expresses profound gratitude for the recognition of oral health’s vital role in the overall well-being of all Canadians. The CDCP has the potential to contribute towards increasing our population health significantly in the forthcoming years. By prioritizing oral health, we anticipate a notable reduction in the overall burden of disease, thereby alleviating pressures on our health care system.
Thank you.