The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

    The Legislative Council Secretariat (the Secretariat) today (20 December) released a Research Brief on "Dental care services for elderly in Hong Kong".

     Elders are the most financially vulnerable group in Hong Kong, with one in three living in poor households in 2015.  Poor elders lack the ability to meet many of their basic needs, including the dental care services.  Dental care services in Hong Kong are largely provided by non-governmental organizations and the more expensive private sector.

     According to the territory-wide Oral Health Survey in 2011, only 22 per cent of non-institutionalized older persons (NOPs) had regular dental check-up habits.  Likewise, less than half of NOPs sought professional dental care when experiencing oral symptoms. Even with severe toothache that disturbed sleep, only about 40 per cent visited a dentist.

     The Government focuses its efforts on providing emergency dental services covering tooth extraction and medications through 11 government dental clinics with fixed service hours and quotas.  These clinics provide a total of 13.5 half-day sessions per week and each distributes less than 100 consultation discs per session.  In 2014-2015, only 35 200 people used the emergency public dental services and half of them were people aged 61 or above.  These clinics are unevenly distributed across the territory, with just one on Hong Kong Island and two serving the whole of Kowloon.  As a result, some patients might have to travel cross-district to seek public dental services or consult private dentists.

     Though the Government has put in place the Elderly Dental Assistance Programme and the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme to provide financial support for the elderly to receive private dental care services, the amount of subsidies might not be enough to cover the high private dental fees.

     On the other hand, the number of registered dentists increased by only 20.5 per cent in the past ten years, which was lower than the growth in elderly population over the period.  In 2014, Hong Kong had a low of 2.13 dentists per 1 000 persons aged 65 or above, a ratio lagging behind that in many other economies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.  To facilitate successful ageing, some developed economies have acknowledged the need to identify the elderly as a priority group with specific measures to address their oral health needs, with an aim to keep their teeth well into old age.

     This is the second issue of the Research Brief for 2016-2017 prepared by the Secretariat's Research Office of the Information Services Division with a view to enhancing information support for Members. It is a concise summary aiming at explaining a subject matter which may be of interest to Members and the general public.

     The Research Brief is now available on the Legislative Council Website at www.legco.gov.hk/research-publications/english/1617rb02-dental-care-services-for-elderly-in-hong-kong-20161220-e.pdf.

Ends/Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Issued at HKT 12:53

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