New agreement extends dental care in Iceland

Groundbreaking agreement expands dental care funding for children, the elderly and the disabled in Iceland

The new dental care agreement further cements the Icelandic public healthcare system as one of the best in the world. (Image: SeventyFour/Shutterstock)

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 25 July 2024

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REYKJAVIK, Iceland: A new agreement signed on 13 June between the Icelandic Dental Association and Iceland Health, the country’s provider of publicly funded healthcare, is set to increase government funding for the dental treatment of children, the elderly and disabled people for the next five years. The landmark agreement continues the government’s commitment to pursuing equitable access to healthcare in the country and follows an important agreement in July last year which tripled funding for general orthodontic treatment.

The new agreement, which took effect partially on 1 July and will be fully effective from 1 September, guarantees dental payments for children, the elderly and disabled people for the next five years. It also increases the number of treatments paid by Iceland Health for costs that were not previously covered.

Speaking on the importance of the agreement, Minister of Health Willum Þór Þórsson said on the Iceland Health website, “This comprehensive agreement on dental services is another step in the government’s journey to reduce people’s payment for healthcare and thus promote equal access. […] I congratulate the parties and the recipients of services for this milestone.”

Echoing these sentiments, CEO of Iceland Health Sigurður H. Helgason stated: “We believe that the agreement will lead to improved dental health for children, the elderly and the disabled. It is the first comprehensive long-term agreement on all dental services. This is in our opinion an extremely satisfying [step].”

The expansion of government funding in the dental arena dovetails with the already robust public healthcare system in Iceland, which has been ranked by The Lancet as high as second in the world in terms of quality and access.