According to data from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), approximately 40.6 percent of adults used the dental care benefit last year. The utilization rate was noticeably higher compared to the previous year, confirmed Tiia Zeigo, head of dental services at the Fund.

The state's subsidized dental care cost nearly €29 million last year, marking an increase of more than 39 percent compared to 2023.

"In terms of the number of people, we can say that over 400,000 individuals used the benefit, which is about 21,000 more than in 2023," Zeigo said.

According to Zeigo, 97 percent of last year's budget for adult dental care benefits was utilized. Future budgets will be planned based on last year's usage, with an added growth percentage.

Zeigo noted that the demand for dental treatment continues to rise, as Estonians generally have poor oral hygiene and invest little in maintaining oral health. If any part of the budget remains unused, it is redirected to other services.

"The dental care budget functions as one large pool, which also funds the prevention and treatment of oral diseases in children, emergency dental care for adults, scheduled treatment for people with disabilities and orthodontic care. This means that any leftover funds can be used to provide more services in other areas, allowing people to access significantly more treatments," Zeigo explained.

The Health Insurance Fund's budget remains tight, with an annual deficit of nearly €200 million.

By 2027, the financial reserve accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to be depleted, prompting discussions on possible adjustments. When the government sought areas for budget cuts last fall, the Fund was also required to propose potential savings.

According to Marko Tähnas, head of the Fund's partnership relations department, the adult dental care benefit was among the suggested cuts. However, the benefit remained unchanged at the time.

Zeigo acknowledged that many dental problems could be easily prevented through healthier habits, and in the future, adult dental care could be an area where the Health Insurance Fund's financial burden is reduced. However, the current state of Estonians' oral health is concerning.

"If everyone took the simplest steps to care for their oral health — drinking water when thirsty, eating a healthy diet, spacing out meals and brushing their teeth twice a day — then I believe this could be an area to consider for cuts. But given the current state of oral health, I wouldn't take such a drastic approach," Zeigo said.

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