Senator Raffy Tulfo asked the Department of Health (DOH) during the deliberations of the Senate Committee on Finance for the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Health (DOH) what happened to the Bureau of Dental Health Services, which is responsible for promoting and protecting the dental health of every Filipino.
“Bagama’t may mga polisiya ang DOH hinggil sa pangangalaga ng dental health, mas maigi pa rin kung magkakaroon ng isang departamento sa ilalim ng DOH na nakatutok lamang sa dental care ng bawat Pinoy,” Tulfo pointed out.
“Approximately 72% of our population has tooth decay.”
The legislator said that more Filipinos are experiencing tooth decay. In fact, according to the Philippine Dental Association, approximately 72% of our population has tooth decay.
It can be recalled that during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Health on July 30, the lawmaker told PhilHealth President and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. that basic dental care should be free for all their members — especially senior citizens, PWDs and minimum wage earners.
PhilHealth, for their part, immediately acted on the senator’s recommendation and announced on Oct. 2 that the oral check-up and teeth cleaning or oral prophylaxis are now free for PhilHealth members and the said dental package will be released this coming December 2024.
“Free dentures should also be included in the said dental package.”
But Tulfo stressed that free dentures should also be included in the said dental package, especially since many senior citizens lose their teeth when they reach 70 years old.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa told him that the addition of free dentures on the provision of the said dental package is in the pipeline, and that they have formed a task force that is currently reviewing policies regarding dental health services.
Tulfo emphasized that next year should have extensive dental health service coverage for Filipinos from PhilHealth, including free dentures, tooth surgery, etc. This was agreed by the health chief.
“Dapat sa susunod na taon ay mayroon ng malawak na dental health service coverage para sa mga Pilipino mula sa PhilHealth,” Tulfo said — to which Herbosa agreed.
