The Government of Canada is making a major push to strengthen oral-health access across the country — and one of the biggest pieces is the $35 million Oral Health Access Fund (OHAF).
🔗 Original announcement: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2025/12/government-of-canada-strengthens-access-to-oral-health-care-in-ontario.html
🔗 OHAF project list: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2025/11/oral-health-access-fund-projects.html
While OHAF includes community programming, training support, and outreach, a large portion of the funding is directly aimed at helping dental providers attract, onboard, and retain new patients — especially those who face barriers to care.
What OHAF is funding
Based on the federal project list, the majority of investments fall into these categories:
• Patient-recruitment initiatives
Programs designed to connect underserved populations with oral-health providers who can accept new patients.
• Retention strategies
Helping clinics build long-term relationships with patients who historically struggle to stay connected to ongoing oral-health care.
• Provider supports & training
Funding to expand clinical capacity, train more dental assistants, and develop programs that help clinics serve larger patient populations.
• Community outreach
Projects that improve awareness, reduce fear or stigma, or provide culturally relevant access points to oral care.
Together, these investments support the growing demand created by the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), ensuring enough providers — and the right programs — exist to keep patients engaged in long-term care.
Why this matters
For clinics, this is a strong signal that the federal government knows the bottleneck isn’t just cost — it’s access and continuity.
For patients, it means more offices ready to welcome them, more support to stay on track with care, and fewer barriers to maintaining oral health.
To explore the full list of OHAF projects and how funds are being allocated, visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2025/11/oral-health-access-fund-projects.html