The labor shortage will prevent dental clinics in Quebec from responding to the increased demand for care that will come with the new federal dental plan.
“The program will bring new clients to areas that are already not taking new patients. This is a major issue,” argues Dr. Carl Tremblay, president of the Association of Dental Surgeons of Quebec (ACDQ).
The federal government plans to spend $13 billion over five years to treat nine million Canadians whose family income is less than $90,000. In Quebec, according to what is anticipated, this might represent nearly two million people, the majority of whom do not currently visit the dentist. However, there is a shortage of dentists in the regions and of hygienists everywhere in Quebec.
“I’ve been looking for a dentist for my clinic for a year and a half and can’t find one. Young people have to go and study in the big centers and they seem to like it. There are several regions where there is no succession,” says Hélène Nadeau, who operates a dental clinic in Saint-Georges.
Mrs. Nadeau offers excellent conditions, with an already established clientele, but, despite her efforts, she does not receive any applications. She has had to extend her working hours since the departure of a young dentist 18 months ago.
Clinics are closing
In remote regions, such as Abitibi, dental clinics are closing for lack of buyers, and dentists in neighboring municipalities are trying as best they can to serve clients who have become orphans, observes the ACDQ.
“There has been a high level of distress since the pandemic,” underlines Dr. Tremblay.
Quebec lacks 1,500 dental hygienists to have a ratio similar to that of Ontario. If we compare with the Canadian average, there would be a shortage of 900. This is huge when you consider that only 280 to 300 new permits are granted each year. Nine CEGEPs train dental hygienists. The one in Matane will be added to the list next fall.
Recruited at the start of their studies
“I just came back from my dentist and the hygienists, the dentist, everyone reached out to me to join them,” says Abigaëlle Fraser, who will soon complete her technique at Cégep Garneau. She sees female students at a third of their school career being offered contracts in the regions.
Wages, which were around $28 an hour before the pandemic, often reach $40 now. Agencies, for their part, offer staff at $70 an hour to fill in the gaps. Since the start of the pandemic, hygienists and dental assistants who become pregnant have benefited from immediate preventive withdrawal and temporary positions are not popular in times of shortage. The costly solution of agencies is sometimes the only one available to dentists.
Too few hygienists, even before the new federal dental program
◆ Between 900 and 1,500 hygienists are missing to meet current needs
◆ Number of permits granted per year: 280 to 300
◆ Wages : from $25 to $40 per hour (2021)
◆ 9 CEGEPs, soon to be 10, offer technical training in dental hygiene
