Citizens entitled to free public dental care in Cyprus are borrowing money from friends and family to access private treatment, as the public sector struggles to provide timely services for urgent cases, patient advocacy groups said.
One woman suffering from an abscess contacted her local health centre to book an appointment with a dentist but received a date for the following month. When she sought emergency treatment at her district’s accident and emergency department that evening due to severe pain, staff informed her no dentist was on call and referred her to a private clinic. The woman ultimately paid for treatment with financial help from a friend.
“Two very specific complaints reached us within a week, which bring to light a huge issue,” Marios Kouloumas, honorary president of the Cyprus Federation of Patient Associations, told Phileleftheros.
The cases revealed that the public sector no longer provides on-call dentists for emergencies and has no periodontist available. In the first case, a hospital employee reportedly suggested the patient seek private treatment and even offered to help cover the costs.
“The public official’s intention was good, but this is certainly not a solution,” Kouloumas said.
Since the implementation of the General Health System (GHS), only individuals with very low incomes, low-income pensioners, civil servants and certain groups of chronic patients qualify for free public dental services. These beneficiaries, by definition, cannot afford to pay privately for healthcare not covered by GHS, Kouloumas noted.
“If the health ministry, which provides dental services rather than the Health Insurance Organisation, has decided not to have a doctor for urgent and emergency cases and not to have a periodontist, then we have a problem,” he said. “It appears something is not right, or we have decided that public beneficiaries are not entitled to specialised care like other citizens who can pay privately.”
The health ministry responded that emergency dental support has been adjusted following reduced demand for the service. In 2024, only eight calls were recorded to on-call dentists, according to ministry figures.
“At the same time, the Health Insurance Organisation continues to provide daily coverage from a specialised maxillofacial surgeon, who is on call daily, and any cases of acute dental abscesses deemed a threat to the patient’s health can be served by him,” the ministry stated.
Regarding the absence of a periodontist, the ministry said it has instructed all dentists serving at health centres to manage periodontal disease cases effectively. The ministry confirmed that one periodontist previously in post has been reassigned to other duties.
Patient advocates expressed concern that vulnerable groups with limited financial means face barriers to accessing essential dental care despite their entitlement to free public services.
