National health insurance scheme and provision of oral care in Nigeria: a short communication

Abstract

Though oral diseases are preventable, many people across the globe still suffer from pain and discomfort associated with oral diseases. The attainment of optimum oral health is impeded by a number of obstacles which include the cost and affordability of treatment, poor access due to workforce shortages and inequitable distribution of the dental workforce and low oral health literacy amongst others. The likelihood of receiving dental care or visiting a dentist is greatly determined by an individual’s dental insurance status. Persons with dental insurance coverage are more likely to have received dental treatment than those who are not insured. One of the ways of making dental care affordable and accessible is the provision of health insurance. This paper examined the oral health services covered in the Nigerian National Health Insurance Scheme and highlighted its challenges and suggested recommendations.

Keywords: Benefits package, dental care, National Health Insurance Scheme