Study: Cost-related avoidance of oral health services
Released: 2025-02-12
In 2023/2024, more than one in four (28%) Canadians reported they had not visited an oral health care professional at all in the previous 12 months. Among Canadians who had not visited an oral health professional in the previous 12 months, nearly half (49%) said the barrier was the cost.
These results come from a new Statistics Canada study released today, titled "Cost-related avoidance of oral health services," which takes a close look at the characteristics of people who avoided dental visits or recommended care because of the cost.
Cost remains a barrier to accessing dental care
Overall, 24% of Canadians aged 12 and older had avoided going to an oral health professional at least once because of the cost in the previous 12 months—even if they did visit such a professional at another time during that period. This is similar to the proportions reported in 2018 (22%) and 2022 (24%).
The study also looked at cost barriers at the household level and found that about one-third (32%) of Canadian households had at least one member who had avoided visiting an oral health professional because of the cost.
When asked for specific reasons for avoiding dental care, nearly two-thirds of these households (63%) reported they could not pay for the amount not covered by insurance, while one-quarter (25%) said they could not afford to pay up front and wait for reimbursement.
Insurance and income are key predictors of access to dental care
Both insurance and income have a significant impact on cost-related avoidance of dental care. More than 2 in 5 Canadians (45%) without dental insurance (regardless of their income level) had avoided dental visits because of the cost in 2023/2024—almost four times higher than those who had public and/or private insurance (12%).
Households with an adjusted family net income (AFNI) under $90,000 (33%) were almost three times as likely to avoid dental care for cost reasons compared with those with an AFNI of $90,000 or more (12%). However, in the higher income group, dental care avoidance for cost reasons was still 30% among those who did not have dental insurance.
Young adults, especially young women, are more likely to avoid dental care for cost-related reasons
Almost one-third of young adults aged 18 to 34 (32%) had avoided visiting an oral health professional because of the cost in 2023/2024. This was significantly higher than adolescents aged 12 to 17 (7%), other adults aged 35 to 49 (24%) and those aged 50 to 64 (21%). Young adults entering the workforce often find part time or contract work or are self-employed, and these jobs typically lack health benefits.
Women (27%) were more likely than men (22%) to report cost as a barrier to visiting an oral health professional, especially young women aged 18 to 34 (38%) compared to young men aged 18 to 34 (27%).
Racialized Canadians and persons with disabilities are more likely to avoid dental care due to costs
In 2023/2024, racialized Canadians (33%) were more likely than non-racialized Canadians (21%) to report avoiding visits to an oral health professional due to cost. The same was true for avoiding recommended care due to cost (28% of racialized Canadians and 19% of non-racialized Canadians). These differences persisted even when accounting for income and insurance.
Among persons with disabilities, 36% avoided visits to an oral health professional due to the cost, compared with 22% of persons without a disability. Persons with disabilities were also more likely to report cost as a barrier to obtaining recommended dental care (31%) compared with those without a disability (20%).
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Note to readers
The Canadian Oral Health Survey (COHS) is Canada's first-ever national survey dedicated to oral health. It collects important data from Canadians on their oral health, including their ability to pay, challenges finding oral health services, experiences with the oral health care system, and care needs. The COHS also collects information on Canadians' knowledge of publicly funded oral health programs, access to dental care expenses and insurance coverage.
The COHS consists of Canadian households with adults aged 18 years and older living in the provinces. Where applicable, responding adults also provided information for all household members aged 17 years and younger. Analysis in this article is restricted to those aged 12 and older. It excludes people living in the territories and on reserves and in other Indigenous settlements in the provinces, as well as the institutionalized population (e.g., those living in long-term care homes).
Products
The article entitled "Cost-related avoidance of oral health services" is now available in Insights on Canadian Society (75-006-X).
The table 13-10-0903-01, "Selected indicators of dental visits, by age group and gender," has new data available. Overall estimates for the population aged 12 years and older have been added for indicators of avoidance of health care services due to cost.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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