Elderly Dental Care in Hong Kong: Programmes and Costs
Elderly dental care Hong Kong residents can use comes in three routes: free emergency pain relief and extraction at Department of Health dental clinics, subsidised programmes run with non-government organisations such as the Community Dental Support Programme, and private dentists, where the Elderly Health Care Voucher can pay.
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Dental care for older adults in Hong Kong runs through several separate programmes rather than one service. Generated illustration. No real person is depicted.
On this page
- Why public dental care for older adults in Hong Kong is limited
- The dental programmes a Hong Kong older person can use
- Paying a private dentist: the Elderly Health Care Voucher and out-of-pocket costs
- How to enrol in the dental programmes
- What to do when an older person is in dental pain
- Caring for teeth and dentures at home
- Common questions
Why public dental care for older adults in Hong Kong is limited
Hong Kong has no general public dental service for adults. A Legislative Council written reply on 10 January 2024, the Government's reply on dental services, says so.
At present, general dental services are provided mainly by the private sector and the NGOs. The Government provides dental services limited to the management of dental emergencies to the public.
Health Bureau, 10 January 2024
The reply explains why. Dental clinics under the Department of Health primarily serve civil servants, pensioners and their dependants, with only a fraction of capacity serving the public.
The public route is narrow: relief of pain and extraction of one tooth per visit, excluding fillings, scaling, dentures, bridge removal and pre-orthodontic extraction. Eleven clinics hold these sessions.
Routine dental care for an older person therefore runs through a subsidised programme, or privately. General primary care sits at elderly health centres.
The dental programmes a Hong Kong older person can use
Each programme below is described on the Department of Health page that runs it, including the Community Dental Support Programme introduction.
| Programme | Who it is for | What it covers | What the person pays |
|---|
| Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP) | Hong Kong Identity Card holder on Old Age Living Allowance, a Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly at Co-payment Category II, Social Welfare Department home care at the Level 1 or 2 fee, a Hospital Authority Medical Fee Waiver, or certified homeless, with an eHealth account | Assessment, pain relief medication, X-ray, up to three fillings or extractions and one bridge or two crowns every 180 days, scaling and one root canal every 365 days, dentures every five years or more | Category A: $50 per filling or extraction, $100 per bridge, $50 per crown, $50 per root canal, $500 per denture set, with assessment, X-ray, medication and scaling subsidised in full. Category B: $50 for scaling, $1,000 per denture set |
| Outreach Dental Care Programme for the Elderly (ODCP) | Residents of care homes, nursing homes and care and attention homes for the aged blind licensed by the Social Welfare Department, and day care centre users aged 60 or above | On-site oral check-up by an outreach dental team, oral care training for families and caregivers, and treatment on site or at a designated clinic: X-rays, scaling, fillings, extractions, root canal treatment, crowns, bridges, dentures | Free of charge |
| Healthy Teeth Collaboration (HTC) | Adult aged 18 or above with documentary proof of intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder | Free oral check-up, dental treatment and oral health education at participating non-government organisation dental clinics, with escort and transport subsidies | Free of charge. The programme runs to the end of March 2027 |
| Dental General Public Session | Anyone needing emergency dental treatment; half of the quotas go first to people aged 65 or above | Relief of pain and extraction of one tooth per visit | Free from 1 January 2026 for Eligible Persons, including Hong Kong Identity Card holders; $850 plus $90 per prescription item for others |
| Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme | Aged 65 or above with a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption | Private primary healthcare services, including private dental services; the CDSP also accepts vouchers | $2,000 a year, with an $8,000 accumulation limit |
| Community Care Fund Elderly Dental Assistance Programme (EDAP) | Closed to new applicants | Removable dentures and related dental treatment, supplanted by the Community Dental Support Programme | Applications stopped on 1 January 2026 |
The Community Dental Support Programme publishes its terms on its own page, and its predecessor closed to applications on 1 January 2026, as the Hong Kong Dental Association records.
Paying a private dentist: the Elderly Health Care Voucher and out-of-pocket costs
Anyone aged 65 or above with a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption can use the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme, which pays $2,000 a year with an $8,000 accumulation limit. The Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme guide covers the account.
The January 2024 reply also states that the Government subsidises private healthcare services, including dental services, through the voucher scheme, and then had no plan for a dental voucher.
What a private visit covers and what it costs
Treatments the public session excludes, such as fillings, scaling and dentures, are handled privately or through a subsidised programme; treatments outside the programme's scope are a private arrangement, with the participant bearing the full cost.
The only dental charges the Department of Health publishes are for the general public session: free from 1 January 2026 for Eligible Persons, $850 for non-eligible persons, and $90 per prescription item. Each private dentist sets a fee.
How to enrol in the dental programmes
- For the Community Dental Support Programme, check that the person meets one of the eligibility routes above and holds an eHealth account.
- Choose a clinic run by a participating non-government organisation, directly or through a registered social worker.
- For someone in a care home or day care centre, ask the home or centre: the Outreach Dental Care Programme is delivered on site, with treatment at a designated clinic where it cannot be given on site.
- For the Healthy Teeth Collaboration, the arrangement runs through the participating non-government organisation dental clinics, which arrange sedation or general anaesthesia at a designated hospital.
- For a private dentist, the Elderly Health Care Voucher is the payment route where the dentist accepts it.
What to do when an older person is in dental pain
The Dental General Public Session is the emergency route: relief of pain and extraction of one tooth per visit, with no filling, scaling, dentures, bridge removal or pre-orthodontic extraction.
Registration is online, from 6:00 am to 11:30 am; nothing is accepted if the next day is a Saturday or a public holiday. Quotas are allocated by computer ballot.
Half of the quotas go with priority to people aged 65 or above, and 5 per cent of the first round quotas are set aside for recent registrants without one.
Registration in person with on-site staff is possible at any of the 11 dental clinics with general public sessions, from 8.30 am to 11.30 am.
A successful applicant is notified by SMS from the sender identified as #DH-DENT GP, which contains no hyperlink, and must bring the original identity document used at registration.
Caring for teeth and dentures at home
The Department of Health's Oral Health Promotion Division publishes home care guidance for denture wearers.
- Plaque forms on a denture too, so a removable denture should be cleaned every night.
- Fill the wash basin with water first, so a dropped denture does not break, then clean every surface with a toothbrush and detergent.
- Toothpaste should not be used on a denture: the particles may scratch the surface and encourage plaque.
- Before bedtime, immerse the cleaned denture in a cup of water, and keep an unworn denture in plain water so it does not warp.
- An unclean denture worn for a long period may cause denture induced stomatitis, with redness, swelling, pain and ulceration.
- If a denture breaks, collect all the broken parts and take them to the dentist.
Agetide lists medical and care equipment suppliers for oral care aids, and the guide to nutrition for older adults covers diet.
Common questions
Is dental care free for elderly people in Hong Kong?
Not as a rule. Public dental care is limited to relief of pain and extraction, free for Eligible Persons from 1 January 2026. The Community Dental Support Programme, the Outreach Dental Care Programme and the Healthy Teeth Collaboration are free or carry a co-payment.
Can an Elderly Health Care Voucher be used at a private dentist?
The Government stated in January 2024 that it subsidises elderly people to use private healthcare services, including dental services, through the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme. The annual amount is $2,000 with an $8,000 accumulation limit, and vouchers also pay for the Community Dental Support Programme.
What should a carer do if an older person is in dental pain?
Register online for a Dental General Public Session between 6:00 am and 11:30 am on a working day. Quotas are allocated by computer ballot, and half go with priority to people aged 65 or above. The session covers relief of pain and extraction of one tooth.
Topics
- elderly dental care
- community dental support programme
- elderly health care voucher
- oral health
- hong kong
Related on Agetide
Related guides
Sources
- Department of Health, Community Dental Service. Introduction of CDSP, Target Beneficiaries; Administration Fee/ Co-payment Fee. https://www.communitydental.gov.hk/en/cdsp/introduction_of_cdsp.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Department of Health, Community Dental Service. Introduction of ODCP, Target Beneficiaries; Scope of Subsidised Services. https://www.communitydental.gov.hk/en/odcp/introduction_of_odcp.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Department of Health, Community Dental Service. Introduction of Healthy Teeth Collaboration, Target Beneficiaries; Scope of Subsidised Services. https://www.communitydental.gov.hk/en/htc/introduction_of_htc.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Department of Health. Dental General Public Session - New arrangement, New arrangement; Scope of Services. https://www.dh.gov.hk/english/main/main_ds/main_ds_public.html. Published: 2026-07-30. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Health Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. LCQ14: Measures to enhance dental services. https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202401/10/P2024011000277.htm. Published: 2024-01-10. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Health Care Voucher Scheme, Department of Health. Eligible Elderly Persons and Annual Voucher Amount. https://www.hcv.gov.hk/en/hcvs/service_area.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Oral Health Promotion Division, Department of Health. Oral Care Tips: Clean the false teeth (denture, bridge and implant), Cleaning a removable denture. https://www.toothclub.gov.hk/en/en_adu_01_02_01_03.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Hong Kong Dental Association. Community Care Fund Elderly Dental Assistance Programme. https://www.hkda.org/index.php?lang=en§ion=ccf. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
Written and edited by the desk collective The Longlight Desk. No individual is named as the author. Agetide editorial standards.
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