Free oral and dental care for young people who have been diagnosed with cancer

The Oral and Dental Services in Pediatric Oncology Program, created in 2019, is administered in partnership with the Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte Justine. The Program offers free access to some oral and dental services that are not covered by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec’s (RAMQ) public plan.

Before adulthood, cancer and cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, can compromise oral and dental development. Young people may need dental care to avoid complications or to treat potential sequelae.

The Program is intended for people who are diagnosed with cancer or who require a bone marrow transplant (BMT) before the age of 18 and who have to undergo cancer therapy.

The Program is offered exclusively to people who live in Quebec and who are registered with the RAMQ. However, people with refugee status or new arrivals, whose registration with the RAMQ is underway, may be eligible during their cancer therapy, under certain conditions.

The Program provides coverage for a range of oral and dental services, tailored to the needs of eligible people and the different stages of their pathway. The services covered are distributed as follows:

• peri-cancer period: dental care that is required before, during and after cancer therapy, for a period of 12 to 24 months, depending on the case
• monitoring period: follow-up dental examinations for people at risk of developing oral and dental sequelae related to cancer and cancer therapy
• sequelae treatment period: the management of oral and dental sequelae that occurred as a result of the cancer or the treatments received

Professionals or institutions that provide treatments under the Program are reimbursed directly. People who receive services under the Program do not need to submit a claim.

The Program’s designated centres that offer oral and dental care are as follows:

• Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine
• McGill University Health Centre
• CHU de Québec-Université Laval
• Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke
• Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (only for the peri cancer period and for clients in the Outaouais region who have their treatments there)

To find out the steps to follow to access the Program’s services, contact the people in charge.