The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday urged Filipinos to take advantage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) Oral Health Preventive Package, as the agency stepped up efforts to improve public awareness and address long-standing gaps in dental care services nationwide.

“Very payak, simple lang ang gustong iparating ng Department of Health with regards to oral health na mayroon na pong (It is very straightforward, the Department of Health simply wants to convey regarding oral health that there is already) preventive package ang PhilHealth for the oral health,” DOH Undersecretary Emmie Liza Chiong said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview.

She noted that the package was approved in December 2024 but remains underutilized due to limited public awareness.

It covers basic preventive services, including oral examination, dental cleaning twice a year, fluoride application for children, and interventions for tooth sensitivity among adults, with no out-of-pocket expenses for members.

Chiong acknowledged persistent challenges in oral health services, particularly in remote areas where health centers lack dentists, supplies, and equipment.

“May kakulangan talaga sa supplies, but with regards doon sa ibang supplies, ay sinasabi po natin na devolved ang health, so may mga bagay na responsibilidad po ng LGU [local government units] (There is indeed a shortage of supplies, but with regards to other supplies, we say that health is devolved, so there are things that are the responsibility of the LGU),” she said.

Chiong said the DOH is pushing to revive the Oral Health Bureau, which is currently under the nutrition program, to allow the agency to lobby for increased funding and expand access to dental care.

“Ang budget lang po ng oral health ay nasa PHP800 million… roughly nasa 0.14 percent lang ang budget ng oral health (The budget for oral health alone is around PHP800 million… roughly 0.14 percent of the budget for oral health),” she said.

“Nine out of 10 children ay may sirang ngipin, so, nakakalungkot po (Nine out of ten children have broken teeth, so, it’s sad news).”

She also cited a significant shortage of dental professionals in the country, with one dentist serving an average of 53,000 Filipinos, far from the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of one dentist for every 7,500 people.

The DOH is supporting proposed measures in Congress to increase the salary grade of government dentists to encourage more professionals to enter public service, she said.

Addressing reports of fake dentists and unlicensed dental services proliferating online, Chiong said the DOH, in coordination with the Professional Regulation Commission, is pushing for the licensing of dental facilities.

“Magkakaroon na po ng license to operate katulad ng mga hospital ang ating mga dental facilities para po maiwasan din ang paglilinlang sa mamamayang Pilipino (Our dental facilities will now have a license to operate like hospitals to prevent the Filipino people from being deceived),” she said.

She urged the public to be vigilant, particularly against unusually cheap dental offers advertised on social media.

As the country marks National Oral Health Month, the DOH renewed its call for Filipinos to prioritize preventive dental care and make use of PhilHealth benefits.

“Kung mayroon pong issues with regards sa oral health, huwag pong kakalimutang mayroong Department of Health na tutulong po sa inyo at kasama po natin ang PhilHealth (If you have any issues with regards to oral health, don’t forget that there is a Department of Health that will help you and PhilHealth is with us),” Chiong said. (PNA)