Dentists ask 7.2 million for oral health and close responses

A Order of Dentists (MDO) proposed to allocate EUR 7.2 million from the State Budget of 2027 to update oral health checks, finance oral rehabilitation and support proximity responses.

In today's information, OMD also argues that 30% of the sugary beverage tax and part of the tobacco tax are intended for oral health.

In the set of proposals for the State Budget 2027 (OE 2027), the order also includes the provision of funds to realize the special career of dentist, promulgated in August, ensuring the integration of professionals, the opening of competitions and the hiring of dentists to the oral health offices of the National Health Service (SNS).

“ The creation of a career as a dentist in the SNS and the reform of the National Program for the Promotion of Oral Health represent important steps, but they need funding and conditions to be effectively implemented,” said the director of the OMD, Miguel Pavão, stressing that oral health “can no longer be an area marked by inequalities in access to care”.

Under the National Oral Health Promotion Program (PNPSO), the Order proposed updating oral health checks to 45 euros in prevention and diagnosis and 65 euros in treatments, with an estimated investment of 1.5 million euros.

It also advocates the creation of the rehabilitation/prosthesis cheque, aimed primarily at vulnerable adults and elderly people, with an initial allocation of EUR 2.5 million, which OMD says will cover about 5,000 people.

In order to ensure “sustainable financing”, OMD insists on the proposal to allocate 30% of the revenue from the tax on sugary drinks to oral health, which would represent between 18 and 19.8 million euros/year, with reference to revenues of 2025 and 2026.

It also proposes that the 22.5% of the share of the tobacco tax on health should remain in the PNPSO.

In the area of prevention, defends the reinforcement of the Early Intervention Project in Oral Cancer (PIPCO), with the integration of dentists in hospital oncology teams, the creation of the Individual Oral Health Bulletin, articulated with health information systems.

It also suggests that a national epidemiological study should be conducted to make it possible to know the main oral diseases and the care needs of the population, since the latter was presented more than 10 years ago.

The OMD proposals also include an allocation of EUR 2.5 million to support 100 municipal oral health projects in conjunction with local authorities.

The OMD also proposes the creation in 2027 of two pilot programmes aimed at vulnerable populations: one to ensure oral health care in eight prisons (EUR 500,000) and one for institutionalized disabled people, at a pilot stage in 10 institutions, covering up to 500 residents, with funding of EUR 200 000.

It also advocates the revision of “tax asymmetry” in VAT applied to medical-dental devices for therapeutic purposes, including orthodontic appliances and aligners classified as medical devices.