Unexpected consequences: Federal program sapping patients from dentistry college

A dental student at the University of Manitoba practices on a mannequin on Sept. 20, 2024. (Jon Hendricks/CTV News Winnipeg)

Work has begun on a brand new dental clinic for the University Of Manitoba's College Of Dentistry.

Thanks to a $5 million gift from Dr. Gerald Niznick and his wife Reesa, the school is building a new 34,000-square-foot facility.

"Living into one's 80s in good health is certainly fortunate," said former student and philanthropist Niznick. "But to do it and still be able to make a contribution to society supporting state-of-the-art facilities for training young dentists is truly a blessing."

But an important part of that training is being threatened. Typically the students provide low-cost dental care for patients who are uninsured or under-insured.

But these are the very same patients who now qualify for the federal government's new Canadian Dental Care Plan, allowing them to see any participating dentist.

"The fees at the school are still lower," said Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, the Dean of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. "But they're definitely more options now in terms of where they could seek that care."

Officials say they have already noticed a slowdown in patients seeking out the school for treatment. A big worry as both staff and students say having real living patients is a critical part of their training.

"The biggest difference is, just having that tactile feedback that, seeing the patient move," said second-year student Brendan Scott. "Because a mannequin you can just move however you want. You can sit at any position, you know, at times you don't realize our arms are going over top of their body or in their face."

The College of Dentistry said it will work hard to attract more people to the school. At the same time, it's letting the federal and provincial governments know about the problem so they can find a long-term solution.

This is an issue affecting dental schools across the country. Kelekis-Cholakis said the ideal scenario would be for the federal and provincial governments to offer financial support to the schools so any care they provide would be completely free of charge.

A spokesperson for Health Canada tells CTV News they are aware financial barriers have in the past been an element in why some patients chose to use school clinics for their treatment.

In a statement, they wrote, "Dental schools are key partners to the success of the Canadian Dental Care Plan. The Government of Canada is very thankful to all dental schools that have confirmed their participation in it, including the University of Manitoba, which has already started treating CDCP clients."

The statement also noted Budget 2023 committed $250 million in funding over three years for oral health education and training. That cash is set to start flowing in April of 2025.