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The practice of dentistry in Canada is overseen by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada in conjunction with other agencies, such as the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada and the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. In 2017 there were 23,556 dentists in Canada according to the Canadian Dental Association.

Licensure
Dentistry is a regulated profession in Canada. In order to practice dentistry, a dentist must obtain a license or permit from the province or territory they wish to practice in. The main requirement to obtain licensure in all Canadian provinces and territories is passing the National Dental Examination Board exams. Several provinces require applicants to complete a jurisprudence and ethics examination which tests knowledge related to local laws, ethics, and regulation of the profession.

NDEB examination
Candidates seeking to practice dentistry in Canada must successfully complete a two-part examination administered by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB). ). In 2019 the NDEB reported having 1125 students pass the written component and 1155 students pass the clinical part (NDEB). Dental students at accredited Canadian and American dental schools are permitted to take the examination no earlier than 3 months prior to graduation, which usually means the March of their graduating year. Upon successful completion of the exam, the NDEB issues a certificate to the candidate.

To be eligible to write the NDEB exam, candidates must have:
 * 1) Graduated from an accredited dental school in Canada, the United States, Australia (since 2011), New Zealand (since 2011), or Ireland (since 2012) or
 * 2) Passed the equivalency process for graduates of other dental schools (foreign trained dentists).

The NDEB has stated in 2019 that their examination process will change in 2021, to be one Virtual Exam. This exam contains questions from the written, clinical part and the addition of new technologies to allow for 3D modeling questions.

Qualifying (advanced standing) programs and the equivalency process for foreign-trained dentists
Foreign-trained dentists can obtain a DMD or DDS from an accredited dental school in Canada or the United States by enrolling in a qualifying or advanced standing program. Typically, the program would consist of the last two to three years of a typical dental program.

The dental schools that offer these programs in Canada are:
 * Dalhousie University
 * University of Alberta
 * University of British Columbia
 * University of Toronto
 * University of Manitoba
 * University of Western Ontario
 * McGill University
 * Université de Montréal
 * University of Laval
 * University of Saskatchewan

In 2011, the equivalency process for foreign trained dentists was launched.

The process consists of three exams: The alternative route of going through a qualifying program or advanced standing program still exists.
 * 1) Assessment of fundamental knowledge written exam.
 * 2) Assessment of clinical skills exam: a practical exam on typodonts and manikins.
 * 3) Assessment of clinical judgement written exam.

When it first launched in 2011, only 44 candidates passed the equivalency process. In 2014 over 260 candidates passed and in 2017, that number rose to 307 candidates. These numbers are expected to keep going up as the number of candidates challenging the exams has been rising steadily year after year.

Over saturation of dentists in Canada
According to the Canadian Dental Association, the population-to-dentist ratio has been dropping in all provinces and territories. This dentist glut is resulting in growing competition and tough times for dentists especially in urban centres like Toronto.

Dental Usage & Services in Canada
The number of dentists per Canadian in 2016 was 1 dentist per 1,622 people as reported by the CDA. However, this ratio varies by province and by region (urban vs. rural). Provinces such as Newfoundland, Nunavut, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have higher ratios with Nunavut having the highest. This region had 1 dentist per 2,750 people. Moreover, rural regions are underserved and have higher numbers than this ratio indicating both a need for dentists and an unsaturation of oral health professionals in these areas. Statistics Canada reported that in 2018 over 75% of the Canadian population visited a dentist. Those who were 12-17 were most likely to report a recent visit to the dentist (92%) and those 65 and over, were least likely to visits the dentist (66%). The most frequently reported barrier to vising a dentist was income and dental insurance, as reported by 22.4% of the population. These two factors strongly influenced seeking dental care and as such impacted these patient’s oral health negatively. As such, 49% of low-income households tended to avoid dentists due to the cost and not having insurance. Whereas, middle-income households have less availability due to their occupation and might or might not have insurance to cover the treatments.

Dentistry in Canada is a private-practice based model, where most services are offered in private clinics and the minority in publicly funded clinics (i.e. hospitals, universities, army base, government clinics). Most payments in 2015 for dental services were from out of pocket (37% of payments) or private/employment insurance (56% of payments) for dental care in Canada. In 2018 64% of the population had dental insurance. Public insurance provided by the provincial government is available for a certain part of the general population and a mix of federal and provincial insurance is available to certain populations (military, veterans, royal Canadian mounted police, prisoners, refugees and Aboriginal populations) this represents 6.3% of payments. The total expenditure of dental services by the people in Canada in 2015 was $13.6 billion.

Rural, Remote and Northern Dentistry
Dental professionals providing services in these regions include dental therapists, dental hygienists and dentists. Most of these professionals are employed by the government, either provincial or regional health authorities. However, these employers find it hard to attract and retain staff, leaving the population in need of oral health services. Amongst the Inuit population, less than 50% of the population visits a dentist. The Inuit Oral Health Survey responders indicated that this was not due to cost or acceptance of treatment, but likely to accessibility of services. Most of the visits are of emergency nature and not preventative work. Additionally, as most regions do not have a resident dentist, it is common to see dentists fly to regions to work for periods of time. Additionally, if emergency treatments are needed that are complex patients from remote regions have to be flown to more urban regions where they can be treated.

The Canadian to Dentist Ratio in Rural areas is 3.5 times lower than what it is in the general population (57.6 dentists per 100,000) according to the Canadian Dental Association. In 2010, it was reported that 1% of dental specialists and 6.7% of dentists work in rural or remote regions of Quebec. These Quebec regions were the Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Eastern Quebec. There remain lots of opportunities for dentists to establish practices in underserved regions such as those that are rural, remote and northern.

Dental Groups in Canada
dentalcorp is Canada’s largest network of dental clinics. It started in 2011 and has grown to over 450 locations serving 2 million Canadians. Altima Dental was established in 1993 and has over 30 dental offices. Other dental groups include 123dentist ,Dental Choice and tooth corner Dental.

Achievements
The first woman to be licensed as a dentist in Canada was Emma Gaudreau Casgrain in 1898. She was trained by her husband, dental surgeon Henri-Edmond Casgrain, an innovator in dentistry.