PhilHealth to cover basic oral healthcare services

dentist licemsure exam

MANILA, Philippines — Basic oral healthcare services are now covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the Department of Health (DOH) said.

In a statement on Thursday, the DOH said that the PhilHealth Board of Directors approved the inclusion of the country’s first oral healthcare in the benefit packages “designed to pay for annual routine preventive oral care services for every Filipino.”

“Universal health care must have oral health care, and the best way to make it sustainable and felt by all Filipinos is through primary care,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, who is also the ex-officio chairman of the PhilHealth Board of Directors, said.

“We want dentists to come together and join us for UHC. This new PhilHealth oral health benefit will help make that happen,” Herbosa added.

According to DOH, the approved maximum payment of P1,000 annually per patient covers the following services: P300 for the first visit covering mouth examination, oral prophylaxis, fluoride varnish application; P300 for second visit at least four months apart from the first visit for the same services; and P200 per tooth for pit and fissure sealant or a Class V procedure.

DOH added that while co-payment is not allowed for public dentists, private dentists are allowed a maximum payment of P1,500 for mouth examination and oral prophylaxis; P600 for pit and fissure sealant or Class V procedure; and P600 for emergency tooth extraction.