Expansion of Health Insurance Coverage for Tooth Prevention and Preservation Treatments... "Extending Healthy Lifespan"

Ministry of Health and Welfare Announces 'Basic Plan for Oral Health Projects' for Dental Health in the Super-Aged Era
Expanding Screening Intervals for Early Detection and Treatment of Oral Diseases
Considering Training Specialized Dental Hygienists for Elderly and Disabled Oral Health Care

Boseong-gun Public Health Center (Director Kim Jeong-hee) is making every effort to manage the oral health of residents by regularly operating a vehicle equipped with mobile dental treatment equipment in the Muui dental area.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the society enters a super-aged stage, the socioeconomic burden caused by oral diseases is increasing, prompting the government to promote oral health improvement measures such as expanding health insurance coverage for treatments effective in preventing cavities and preserving teeth.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 12th, the recently announced "2nd Basic Plan for Oral Health Projects (2022?2026)" includes plans to develop an oral health management index model over the next five years, expand oral examinations, and strengthen coverage for five major preventive and preservative benefit items such as dental sealants.

First, to prevent oral diseases from leading to exposure to various systemic diseases such as stroke and dementia, an integrated management model for health promotion of oral diseases and systemic diseases will be developed. For example, if a person suspected of having diabetes during a health checkup is diagnosed with diabetes, they will be recommended to visit a dentist as a high-risk group for periodontal disease.

Using big data such as oral health questionnaires, examination, and treatment results, a personal and regional oral health management index model will also be developed to quantify cavities in infants and toddlers, periodontal disease in adults, and oral health of local residents. To this end, support will be provided to activate the use of oral treatment information such as individual oral examination history, imaging data including implants and prosthetics, and medical records.

To enable early detection of major oral diseases by life cycle, the number of oral examinations for infants and toddlers will be expanded from three to four times starting this year. Student oral examinations will be integrated into the national examination system by 2024, and panoramic examinations and masticatory function (chewing ability) tests will be introduced for adults and the elderly. To ensure timely treatment when oral disease findings are present, measures to reduce out-of-pocket expenses when preventive care and treatment are received immediately at pediatric dental clinics will also be considered.

To secure the role of dental hospitals differentiated from dental clinics, licensing standards for dental hospitals will be introduced, and referral and return procedures between dental hospitals and clinics will be established. Additionally, a "specialized dental hygienist qualification exam" will be introduced for infection control, elderly and disabled care, public health, orthodontics, implants, and other target areas. In health centers without dentists, dental hygienists will perform oral disease prevention and hygiene tasks under the guidance of health center dentists.

To expand dental medical coverage and preventive and preservative treatments, the ongoing pilot project for pediatric dental primary care will be expanded nationwide, and health insurance coverage will be extended to treatments effective in preventing and preserving cavities such as fluoride application, dental sealants, root canal (nerve) treatment, and light-cured composite resin fillings.

Reflecting the treatment characteristics of persons with disabilities, the age for denture benefit coverage will be expanded, and a plan to recognize coverage for periodontal treatment performed all at once under general anesthesia will also be considered. The number of oral treatment centers focusing on patients under general anesthesia will be increased by three to a total of 17, and regional centers totaling 98, as well as basic local government oral health centers and oral health rooms in special schools, will be gradually increased.

Furthermore, government investment in dental research will be expanded from the current 2% range to 10% by 2026 through the establishment of dental clinical big data and large-scale mid- to long-term research projects, and the establishment of a "nationally supported dental research institute" will also be pursued. While reducing oral treatment tasks at public health centers, oral health tasks will be expanded, and a full revision of the "Oral Health Act" will be considered to comprehensively cover oral health and dental medical-related laws in response to changes in the oral policy environment.

Lee Ki-il, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "While the 1st Basic Plan (2017?2021) focused on local government oral health projects, the 2nd plan is a pan-government plan covering the entire oral and dental medicine system and industry. Through this, we will make multifaceted efforts to extend healthy life expectancy by improving oral health, such as reducing the experience rate of childhood cavities, the prevalence of adult gum disease, and the rate of chewing discomfort complaints among the elderly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.