Across B.C., emergency rooms are already under enormous pressure. But one preventable problem continues to send patients through hospital doors: untreated dental pain and infection.
When people cannot access basic dental care, they often have nowhere else to go but the ER — where doctors can manage pain, but not the underlying problem. Throughout the province, not-for-profit (NFP) dental clinics are helping stop that cycle before it starts.
On behalf of our over 4,000 dentist members, the BC Dental Association (BCDA) has proudly supported these clinics in providing care to individuals and families who might otherwise have little or no access to oral healthcare: low-income seniors, children, people living with disabilities, newcomers, and those experiencing housing instability or complex medical conditions. For many, these not-for-profit clinics are not a backup option. They are the only option.
Sadly, the Province recently confirmed that it will not renew the critical funding that has historically supported B.C’s not-for-profit dental clinics — despite clear evidence that stable funding prevents suffering and reduces pressure on emergency rooms.
Responding to Growing Demand
B.C.’s NFP dental clinic network has expanded from 19 clinics in 2021 to 25 clinics in 2025. This growth reflects rising community need and the commitment of local organizations to respond.
In 2025 alone, these clinics delivered 53,782 in-person patient appointments — a 13 per cent increase over the previous year — serving more than 24,300 patients. Notably, 32 per cent of patients live in rural and remote communities.
Nearly 90 per cent of patients served are receiving government assistance, are uninsured low-income individuals, or are Employment Insurance recipients. Almost half of these clinics operate outside Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley — in communities where access to dental care is already limited. In rural and remote regions, they often serve as the last point of care before patients turn to hospital emergency departments.
ERs Are Not Dental Clinics
When dental care is inaccessible, people do not simply stop experiencing pain. They go to the emergency room.
Approximately 1–2 per cent of emergency room visits in Canada are for non-trauma dental issues. In B.C., low-income adults are six times more likely to visit the ER for dental reasons than adults with higher incomes.
Emergency departments cannot provide definitive dental treatment. They manage pain, prescribe antibiotics, and then discharge patients— often only to have them return when infection or pain worsens.
If just 5 per cent of the 53,782 appointments delivered by NFP clinics in 2025 had instead resulted in emergency room visits, the cost would have been significant: approximately $672,000 in hospital triage costs and roughly 900 hours of ER physician time.
That is physician time we cannot afford to lose in a system already facing critical shortages.
Filling Critical Gaps
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is an important development, but it does not eliminate the need for community-based NFP clinics. Many individuals face barriers to accessing national programs, including tax filing challenges, documentation requirements, language barriers, and housing instability. For these patients, NFP clinics remain the primary safety net.
Moreover, NFP clinics are uniquely positioned to serve patients with complex medical and social needs. Teams provide trauma-informed care, coordinate with physicians, and manage increasingly complicated health histories.
Accountability and Stewardship
Since 2017, NFP dental clinics have been supported through provincial grants and operate under rigorous regulatory standards.
Public dollars are stewarded responsibly. Clinics operate within clear oversight frameworks.
What they require now is predictable funding.
Multi-year funding allows clinics to recruit and retain dental professionals, invest in equipment, maintain safe operations, and plan services sustainably. Without stable support, clinics may be forced to reduce hours, increase wait times, or close — shifting cost and pressure directly back onto hospitals and social services.
An Investment in Health Equity, System Sustainability
Oral health is not separate from overall health. Untreated dental disease affects nutrition, speech, employability, chronic disease management, and mental wellbeing.
When we fund preventive and community-based dental care, we reduce suffering and hospital utilization, and reduce long-term healthcare costs.
The question before policymakers is not whether we can afford to continue funding NFP dental clinics. It is whether we can afford the consequences withdrawing that support.
Stable, ongoing investment in B.C.’s not-for-profit dental clinic network protects vulnerable patients, preserves emergency room capacity, and strengthens the resilience of our healthcare system.
For the health of our communities and the sustainability of our healthcare system, continued support for NFP dental clinics is essential, and the consequences of losing that support will be felt quickly across our healthcare system.
– By Dr. Jillian Belbin, BCDA President and Quinn Mathiesen-Newcomb, BCDA CEO