March 30, 2026 | Quebec, Quebec | Health Canada

Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Member for Parliament for Quebec Centre, along with Steeve Lavoie, Member of Parliament for Beauport-Limoilou, on behalf of the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced over $3.8 million for three Oral Health Access Fund (OHAF) projects at Universite Laval to improve hands-on training experiences for oral health students and to strengthen efforts to support access to oral health care.

Funding for these three projects includes:

• Over $2.3 million to create social dentistry internships at an existing downtown Quebec City community center and at a new dental clinic that would be renovated and equipped to deliver treatment in an underserved area of Rive-Sud/la Beauce.
• Over $1 million to create a new internship for dentistry students which will provide the opportunity to work in private practices in underserved regions of Quebec City.
• Over $450,000 to increase student training, as well as to support an initiative to attract and retain Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) eligible patients in the Quebec and Levis areas by covering the balance of their co-payments.

These projects are in addition to the broader investment of more than $35 million over three years for 30 projects under OHAF announced in November 2025. The OHAF complements the CDCP by investing in targeted measures that reduce and remove barriers to oral health care among vulnerable populations, including in rural and remote communities.

Over 6 million Canadian residents are now covered under the CDCP. In Quebec, over 1.7 million are now covered under the plan, and more than one million CDCP members have already received care from participating providers. The CDCP is making life more affordable by saving eligible Canadian residents an average of $900 per year on their oral health care services.

CDCP members must renew their coverage each year to confirm that they still meet the eligibility requirements and avoid any disruptions in their CDCP coverage. This year's renewal period will be from April 15 to June 1, 2026.

For more information, visit Canada.ca/dental.