700. Check-dentist: what it is, how it works and who has the right

Created in 2009, the National Oral Health Promotion Program began by covering children and young people up to the age of 16 who attend public schools or private social solidarity institutions (IPSS). Subsequently, it was extended to pregnant women, the elderly, people infected with HIV, children and young people of 7, 10 and 13 years of age with special health needs.
In 2018 an electronic oral health report will be made available, a measure included in the Simplex + program. This document will be made available on the SNS portal. From then on, dental checks will also be issued digitally, arriving to the users by sms or e-mail. The number of checks that each group of beneficiaries is entitled to is defined by the Ministry of Health. The purpose of this measure is to avoid the loss of checks and to increase the use of checks.

Who can benefit from dental checks?
- Children up to 6 years of age in a situation considered to be serious, taking into account criteria such as pain and degree of infection in temporary teeth, a dentist's check may be assigned per year;

- Children attending public schools or IPSS (private institutions of social solidarity): at 7 and 10 years of age they are entitled to 2 dental checks, for an equal number of consultations. At the age of 13, 3 consultations are planned. The first check is provided through the school and the following by the dentist. To young people with 15 years of age who have been beneficiaries of the PNPSO and following their treatment plan at the age of 13, a dental check may be awarded per school year;
- Children and young people of 7, 10 and 13 years of age with special health needs, such as those with mental illness, cerebral palsy, trisomy 21, among others, who have not yet been covered by PNPSO;

- Young people of 18 years, provided they have been beneficiaries of PNPSO and concluded the treatment plan at the age of 16;- From the age of 65, those who receive the solidarity supplement for the elderly benefit from 2 annual checks to treat the teeth;- Pregnant women in the National Health Service receive 3 consultations, which can occur up to 60 days after delivery. They will be assigned by the family doctor;-In the case of HIV patients, the program provides for 6 checks. The first is assigned by the family doctor and the rest by the dentist. Checks also cover HIV patients who have already been covered by PNPSO and have not been receiving treatment for more than 24 months;- High-risk patients (eg those who have had tumors, smokers and heavy drinkers) or suspected mouth injuries are entitled to two annual diagnostic checks of € 15 each and, if necessary, another two for the biopsy (each check for 50 euros). The process of assigning the check is triggered by the family doctor;

Where can you use it?
Check-dentist can be used in any dentist doctor, in private dental clinics or clinics. They do not have any restrictions regarding the area of residence of the user, and can be used anywhere in mainland Portugal. Consult the list of participating dentists on the General Health Directorate page.
The scope of use of check-dentist provides for the promotion of oral health, prevention and treatment of oral diseases. In the use of the dental check, for each beneficiary group and in the scope of treatment, there is a set of specific acts of their own. In particular, in the case of children, the program only covers the treatment of definitive teeth, except in the dental check for children under seven years.

Jornal Económico