The University of Manitoba announced this week that its dental school will offer free dental care to Manitobans enrolled in the Canadian Dental Care Plan. The Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry at UM received a grant of $336,000 from Health Canada, which will allow it to cover up to 100 per cent of eligible oral health care for patients enrolled in the Canadian Dental Care plan or non-insured patients. Up until March 31, 2026, or until the grant runs out, patients of all ages who do not have insurance or are part of the CDCP can have their eligible dental work completed at the UM dental college's general clinic. "There are significant benefits to this project," said Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, dean of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. "First, it enables us to expand access to oral health care for Manitobans who lack private dental insurance and may face socio-economic barriers to obtaining care, including seniors, people with disabilities, people with insecure housing, Indigenous people and newcomers to Canada. This is an important part of our commitment to community service. Second, it assists us in attracting and retaining patients." Another benefit of this project is that it allows students to fulfill the hours of hands-on experience needed to graduate. "It will help our learners hone their clinical and interpersonal skills in delivering care to patients from diverse backgrounds and raise awareness of our oral health services among the vulnerable populations that we hope to reach," Kelekis-Cholakis explained. The grant was allocated through Health Canada’s Oral Health Access Fund, a federal granting program designed to complement the CDCP. To date, more than 5 million Canadians are now covered under the Canadian Dental Care Plan.