PETALING JAYA: The costs of private dental care has risen by 50-70%, due to several factors including inflation. As a result, private dental care may not be affordable to many.
Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners Association (MPDPA) President Dr Jayaseel SR Pillai said general inflation has affected the cost of dental materials, equipment, and overhead, in turn leading to the rise in dental care cost.
He also added that the cost of dental supplies such as instruments, gloves, masks and disinfectants can fluctuate due to market conditions.
“Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to increased demand, and supply chain disruptions for some dental supplies, further increasing costs,” he said.
“Maintaining a dental practice involves expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, office staff salaries and administrative costs. These operational costs can contribute to the overall cost of care,” he said.
“Dental technology has advanced significantly in recent years, leading to more sophisticated equipment and materials.While these advancements can improve the quality of care, they often come at a higher cost, which may be passed on to patients.”
Moreover, specialised dental procedures that require additional training and equipment often come with a higher price tag,” he said. Apart from that, he said labour costs have also been increasing over time and dental practices are forced to raise their fees to cover these expenses.
“Dental practices must comply with various regulations related to safety, sterilisation and patient privacy. Staying in compliance often requires investments in training, equipment and record-keeping, which can contribute to rising costs. Rising malpractice insurance premiums can drive up the overall cost of providing dental care,” Dr Jayaseel said.
With the increasing number of dentists every year leading to a glut of dental clinics in the private sector, this has thus caused dentists to pass their high operational costs on to patients in order for them to sustain their businesses.”
‘There are many dentist graduates with significant student loan debt. To repay these loans, they may need to charge higher fees for their services,” he added.
He said low reimbursement rates from dental insurance providers can also lead to dental practices charging fees to make up for the difference.
