5 million Canadians now covered by national dental care plan, but nearly half haven't been to a dentist

Health Canada is touting the major uptake of its public dental insurance program, but data shows that nearly half of the 5.2 million eligible patients have yet to see a dentist.

Of the Canadians approved for coverage, 2.8 million have been to a dental clinic.

The new data comes six months after the Canadian Dental Care Plan expanded to cover 18-64 year olds. So far, 1.8 million people in this newest cohort are approved for the plan. A quarter of them have actually used the program so far.

Health Canada also now says close to 100 per cent of active dentists, denturists and independent dental hygienists are treating patients through the program. It's a significant milestone considering initial uptake from dentists was low .

Half of requests for complex dental work are being rejected un