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20 July 2025 | Country Update
National oral health prevention programme for 2025–2027 open for public consultation
5.12. Dental care
The basic package of dental services covered by the CHIF ensures almost all basic dental procedures (restorative, endodontic, basic periodontal, oral surgery, oral diseases, specified orthodontics up to 18 years of age, and some prosthodontics) and emergency dental care. The CHIF manages the content and price of each service provided within the mandatory health insurance scheme and actively checks billing to ensure that bills reflect the amount of work done. The Croatian Dental Chamber sets standards for services and is responsible for monitoring the quality of dental care.
Dental services are delivered through a network of dental offices, with teams consisting of a dentist and a dental assistant. In 2018 the Dental and Oral Health Service included 1896 teams (1839 doctors of dental medicine, one specialist in child and preventive dental medicine, and 56 other specialists). In addition, 653 non-contracted teams provided dental care (665 doctors of dental medicine, 27 specialists in child and preventive dental medicine, and 51 other specialists) in the private sector (Croatian Institute of Public Health, 2019).
Geographical accessibility of dental services is good, although with some variation across the country. As for most other health services, access is more limited in rural and underdeveloped areas and on the islands.
The “dental passport” is a national preventive programme, aimed at improving oral health among preschool and elementary school children. School medicine specialists refer children to the dentist to assess their dental status in the 1st and 6th grades of elementary school.
The Ministry of Health has submitted the national oral health prevention programme for the period 2025–2027 for public consultation. The programme is aligned with the National Health Development Plan 2021–2027 and focuses on strengthening preventive measures, early detection and treatment for oral diseases, with a specific goal of reducing mortality from oral cavity cancer.
The programme is structured around four main areas:
- Prevention in children and youth – including school and preschool-based education and the implementation of the national “Dental Passport” programme.
- Prevention and treatment of periodontal disease – improving treatment protocols and raising public awareness.
- Oral health protection for vulnerable groups – tailored interventions for older people and people with disabilities, including early detection of oral cancer.
- Education and awareness-raising – public campaigns targeting both citizens and health professionals.
References
For more information (in Croatian) see: