Only one in four people had gone to the dentist in the one year prior to the interview for the National Health & Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019 report.

“Generally, utilisation of oral healthcare was low in Malaysia, especially among adults and younger children. Only about one in four of the population had utilised oral healthcare in the last 12 months prior to the interview in NHMS 2019 and similar prevalence rates were reported since NHMS 2011,” said the report.

Almost half of the population had their last oral healthcare more than two years ago which saw a slight increase compared with the findings in NHMS 2015.

Approximately three in 20 of the population had never utilised oral healthcare, it added.

The report found that the overall public perception on oral healthcare needs was still low and there was a lack of awareness on the need for regular dental visits to maintain optimal oral health.

Public healthcare facilities were the main service provider for oral healthcare services for Malaysians, said the NHMS 2019 report.

“In addition, most Malaysians used public services, with the highest proportion among the poorest 20% and lowest proportion among the richest 20% in the population.”

“This suggests a need for planning future financial arrangements where public oral healthcare policies target priority population subgroups,” it said, noting that the capacity of the public healthcare service is limited by the availability of dental clinics.

The report noted that the use of private healthcare among the richest group of the population was three times more than the poorest segment, indicating that affordability may be an issue for certain strata of the population when it comes to private healthcare.

“A bulk of the population pay for private oral healthcare services using their own money or money sourced from family or household members. Coverage provided by personal health insurance, employer sponsored health insurance, and panel clinics remain very low,” it said.

According to a list of dental charges in the Health Ministry’s MyHealth Portal, a tooth extraction can cost anywhere between RM1 for outpatient treatment and RM15 for first class in public healthcare. Third class treatment is free.

For private clinics, this can cost between RM80 and RM160 for a simple extraction, and from RM200 to RM500 for a complicated extraction.

Similarly, tooth filling cost between RM2 and RM20 per tooth in public healthcare, but it may cost between RM60 and RM120 for temporary filling in private clinics, and up to RM800 depending on the material of the fillings.

Scaling costs between RM2 and RM40 per visit in public healthcare while it can cost up to RM120 and above in private clinics.

The report added that as most personal health insurance did not include oral healthcare as part of their coverage, policyholders will have to foot the bill on their own.

“Most people had to pay for oral healthcare services out of their own pocket when they are not eligible for fee exemption,” it added.

Approximately three in 20 of the population had never utilised oral healthcare, the report stated.

The report found that the overall public perception on oral healthcare needs was still low and there was a lack of awareness on the need for regular dental visits to maintain optimal oral health.

It also added there was a high prevalence of people who perceived they were not sick enough to seek medical care and also self-medicate when they are sick.

“Work or other commitments and the inability to take time off from work contributes partly to the low utilisation of oral healthcare. Irregular dental visits contribute to poor oral health and this could lead to serious consequences such as painful and costly dental procedures in the future,” cautioned the report.

In July 2022, then Health Director-General Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry has been conducting a national survey of adult oral health to obtain data on dental health as well as dental disease among Malaysians for the National Health and Morbidity Survey: National Oral Health Survey for Adults 2020 (NHMS 2020: NOHSA 2020).

Source:
courtesy of THE STAR

by RAGANANTHINI VETHASALAM

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