Dental costs in Singapore rising, but employee benefits not always keeping pace

SINGAPORE - The cost of dental care has been edging up over the past few years, driven by inflation and rising business costs, yet many workers are finding that their dental benefits have not kept pace, said human resources experts.

The rising costs are leading some employees to fork out more for dental care, and driving others to visit dentists across the Causeway in Johor Bahru.

The Straits Times reported in May that

more Singaporeans have been visiting dentists in Johor,

where some dental services cost a fraction of what they do here. The report prompted the Singapore Dental Association to call for dental benefits here to be relooked.

Dr Tan Tien Wang, general secretary of the association, said in a letter to ST that there was a need for “continual assessment and refinement of government subsidies, reimbursement schemes and regulatory frameworks”, especially when cost considerations are a significant driver behind a minority of Singaporeans seeking dental treatment abroad.

Checks by ST show that the cost of dental treatments has been rising over the years.

Citing figures from the Singapore Department of Statistics, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said the consumer price index (CPI) for dental services including fillings and root canal treatments as well as scaling and polishing saw an average annualised growth rate of 1.8 per cent from 2019 to 2023.

Compared with 2019, the CPI for dental services in 2023 by public institutions including polyclinics, specialist outpatient clinics and hospitals, as well as private dental clinics, has risen by nearly 7.5 per cent.

According to various clinics’ websites, at NTUC Health Denticare, which has 19 clinics in Singapore, basic dental treatments such as scaling and polishing would have cost around $50 in 2020. The same type of treatment now costs $65.40.

Meanwhile, the Q&M dental group, which runs over 100 clinics in Singapore, now starts charging from $87.20, up from $74.90 in 2021.

A Q&M spokesperson said prices have been adjusted gradually over the past years to account for inflation and increased business costs, such as rent, manpower and material expenses.

For many workers, though, dental benefits have not risen in tandem.

These can vary widely between firms. In the private sector, some employees get free annual dental check-ups, and others can receive up to $1,200 in flexible claims that also cover medical charges or personal holiday expenses. Still others do not get any dental coverage.

Public officers in Singapore can claim up to $120 a year in dental benefits. That figure was last adjusted in April 2013, over a decade ago, while dental costs have crept upwards since then.

In a written parliamentary reply in November 2023, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing said less than 20 per cent of public officers utilised their dental benefits fully.

In response to queries from ST, a Public Service Division spokesperson said the Government continually considers the adequacy of its overall compensation and benefits package, taking into account the cost of healthcare, fiscal prudence, as well as other national policies. This includes working with MOH.

Meanwhile, many workers have dental benefits provided by their employer that cannot completely cover treatment costs.

For Q&M, around 10 per cent of its clients utilise employer-covered insurance arrangements to offset treatment charges. This does not include patients who pay out of pocket first and are reimbursed by their employers later.

Dentist Joanne Quah, who runs the Toothfully Yours Dental Clinic in Beach Road, said around 70 per cent of her patients do so.

Dr Quah said her operating costs have been rising, with the cost of machines, materials and rent going up since she started the clinic in 2021.

She has so far resisted raising patient fees. The dentist of 14 years said: “My clinic is only three years old; I feel it is unfair to my patients to raise prices within a short span of time.”

Dentists in Singapore recommend that their patients visit them once every six months.

The average cost for a typical visit involving a consultation, cleaning and topical fluoride application can be anywhere from $120 to more than $600 for two visits a year.

Ms Tracie Khoo, 48, receives $660 a year from her employer, a local software company, for expenses including dental care and a phone plan, but said the amount is insufficient to cover her dental treatments, which can add up to thousands of dollars a year.

She has had gum procedures and root end surgery over the years, and forks out extra to make up the difference, which amounted to around $3,000 in her last bill.

“My dental care is expensive but to me, it is worth it, or else there would be too much suffering,” she said.

Mr Jeremiah Goh, who heads a student religious organisation, gets up to $400 a year, which he can spend on dental, medical or traditional Chinese medicine claims.

While the $400 amount has not changed since he joined in 2009, a $150 limit for dental claims was removed in 2014 after Mr Goh raised concerns that staff were spending more on dental care than medical expenses.

“I proposed to the leadership to not cap dental benefits because I spend more on dental than medical care,” he said, adding that he last spent around $110 for a cleaning and scaling session.

Property agent Adrian Koh, who does not get dental benefits from his employer, visits a neighbourhood clinic in Bishan twice a year, where charges for cleaning start at $80.

“I used to go to the polyclinics... Now I’ve found a dentist I’m comfortable with and charges competitively and, most importantly, with a fast lead time so I do not have to queue and wait for long,” he said.

The median waiting time for appointments for non-emergency dental services at Singapore’s polyclinics is currently around three months, according to MOH.

At private clinics such as Toothfully Yours, patients can walk in for non-emergency treatments on weekdays. For a weekend slot, they would have to wait around three weeks.

Mr Jasper Toh, principal consultant of human resources firm Impact Best, said employee dental benefits have “stagnated as a whole”, especially in the post-pandemic years.

Employers see flexible or hybrid work arrangements as a benefit and may have sought to balance staff entitlements by reducing their other perks, he said.

“Staff benefits are part of staff costs and increasing the amount of dental benefits equates to more company spending,” said Mr Toh.

Singapore Human Resources Institute executive director Alvin Aloysius Goh said dental allowances may have stagnated because companies find that their employees did not fully utilise their benefits.

“Companies may choose to prioritise employee benefits that are more utilised or provide general salary increments to address rising living costs,” said Mr Goh.

He added that some companies have also tested alternatives such as flexible benefit schemes that allow employees to reallocate unused medical benefits towards dental care.

Mr Joshua Yim, chief executive of talent acquisition consultancy Achieve Group, also said flexible benefit schemes may help companies to attract and retain talent, as their employees can choose to spend on what they need.

“Companies compete for workers, especially competent talent with the requisite skill sets and experience. They would want to offer packages that are attractive,” he said, adding that these are likely to be improved, rather than reduced, in the near future.