Overview
Côte-Nord (North Shore) is the second largest region of Quebec (Immigration Québec, 2011). It is one of the most misperceived territories by majority of Quebecers. This is a territory with a growing regional economy because of the Plan Nord which helps investments in local plans thus creating thousands of jobs (CRÉ Côte-Nord, 2009). It has a vibrant culture and services are accessible in most of the municipalities (CRÉ Côte-Nord habitez, 2009).
Distribution of dental professionals
The dentists of this region are principally established in the cities of Sept-Îles, Baie-Comeau and Fermont and the villages of Blanc-Sablon and Hare-Saint-Pierre. Except for dentists of Sept-Îles and Baie-Comeau, they are situated in areas with little urban influence.
The needs for promoting rural dental practice in these areas is important since about 57% of people on the Côte-Nord reside outside the city of Sept-Îles, Port-Cartier and Baie-Comeau (SADC). With a highly dispersed population and high rates of dental retirements, workforce shortages are speculated in the region (Gagnon. Maurice, 2010).