Press Release | Budget 2026-2027: The Government of Québec misses an opportunity to act, oral health still in the blind spot

Montreal, March 19, 2026 - The Association des chirurgiens dentistes du Québec (ACDQ) deplores that the government of Quebec’s 2026-2027 Budget includes no structured measures targeted to improve access to oral health care, despite growing demand and a persistent shortage of dentists, dental hygienists, and other members of the dental team in many regions. Yet dentists and their teams play an important preventative role, helping to avoid complications that can lead to hospital emergency room visits or even hospitalization, including significant healthcare costs.

“Not for the first time, the government is missing an opportunity to take actual action to improve access to oral health care. These issues have been known for several years, and the ACDQ has offered several realistic solutions. Yet, oral health still seems to end up in the blind spot of budget decisions. Without concrete action, access to dental care is likely to deteriorate even further, particularly in more remote regions,” says Dr. Marie-Claude Desjardins, President of the ACDQ.

Shortages limit access to care

The shortage of oral health workers, particularly dental hygienists, is one of the main obstacles in accessing care in Quebec today. Over 1,400 dental hygienists are currently needed to meet the population’s needs.

In particular, the ACDQ has proposed increasing dental hygiene training capacity, rolling out the accelerated program for foreign-trained dentists in more than one CEGEP, and introducing incentives to encourage the settling of this critical workforce in more remote regions.

“There is real interest in oral health careers, but training capacity remains largely insufficient. By increasing training opportunities and creating incentives for regional practice, the government could rapidly improve access to care for thousands of Quebecers,” emphasizes Dr. Desjardins.

A framework agreement that expired three years ago

The ACDQ also points out that the framework agreement between dentists and the Quebec government expired in March 2023. With dental clinics’ operating costs rising sharply, the absence of an adequately funded agreement is undermining dentists’ participation in the public plan.

“Dentists want to continue offering care to people covered by Québec’s public plan, but this must be done under viable practice conditions. Without a fair and adequately funded framework agreement, the difficulty of attracting dentists to certain regions, such as Nord-du-Québec, is likely to worsen whilst the situation there is already critical,” adds Dr. Desjardins.

Oral health must become a priority ahead of the elections

The ACDQ underscores that oral health is a pillar of overall health, and contributes directly to quality of life, participation in the workforce, and community vitality. As the next provincial election approaches, the ACDQ believes that oral health issues must be given a real place in the public debate.

“The challenges facing the oral health sector are very real and have direct consequences for the population. We urge all political parties to recognize the importance of these issues and to consider our concrete solutions to improve access to oral healthcare in Quebec as part of the upcoming election campaign,” concludes Dr. Marie-Claude Desjardins.

About the ACDQ
The Association des chirurgiens dentistes du Québec (ACDQ) is a professional association that brings together over 4,300 dentists practicing in Quebec, mainly general practitioners, but also public health and pediatric dentists. While some dentists practice in institutions, the majority of the ACDQ’s members work in private clinics. The ACDQ’s mission is to study, defend, and develop the professional, economic, and social interests of its members.

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Media requests:
Jordan Dupuis
Communications and Public Relations Coordinator
[email protected]
Association des chirurgiens dentistes du Québec