Chas dental clinics to display fee benchmarks, provide higher subsidies from Oct 1

SINGAPORE – Come October, Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) dental clinics will have to prominently display fee benchmarks next to their price lists, to help patients make better-informed choices.

Fee benchmarks indicate the reasonable range of fees that patients can expect to pay for routine and typical cases.

According to benchmarks published by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sept 1, polishing should cost between $26 and $38, and scaling should cost $35 to $60. A root canal treatment for a molar tooth should cost $872 to $1,400.

This aims to complement the

increase in government support for more affordable and accessible dental care

.

From Oct 1, Chas subsidies of up to $45.50 will be extended to Chas Orange cardholders for 10 basic and preventive dental procedures, such as scaling and polishing.

These are Singaporeans with a per capita household monthly income of between $1,501 and $2,300, or who have no income but reside in a residence of annual home value of between $21,001 and $31,000.

More subsidies will also be provided for seven restorative dental procedures, such as root canal treatment and dentures, for Pioneer Generation (PG), Merdeka Generation (MG), Chas Blue and Chas Orange cardholders.

For instance, a PG cardholder getting a molar root canal treatment at a private clinic can get the maximum subsidy of $594.50, up from $266.50 previously.

An MG cardholder getting a molar root canal treatment can see his out-of-pocket payment nearly halved to $370 from $700.

From mid-2026, seniors aged 60 and above can also tap Flexi-MediSave to offset up to $400 each year when they undergo treatments for root canal and permanent crowns at Chas dental clinics and public healthcare institutions.

Flexi-MediSave allows individuals to use their MediSave or their spouse’s MediSave up to a limit each year for outpatient treatments.

The new MOH fee benchmarks for 18 dental procedures under Chas are meant to complement the subsidy enhancements.

Fee benchmarks are not strict fee caps. However, dental providers should refer to and quote the relevant fee benchmark when discussing treatment charges with patients.

The benchmarks were developed by the Dental Fee Benchmarking Advisory Committee appointed by the Health Minister. The committee is led by Associate Professor Patrick Tseng, senior consultant at the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore.

The 13-member committee reviewed past Chas claims and considered factors such as the complexity associated with each procedure and the reasonableness of the range. It also consulted professional associations and dental clinics on the principles and approach for developing the benchmarks.

The benchmarks will be reviewed periodically to ensure they remain relevant and up to date.

Besides having to display the fee benchmarks from Oct 1, Chas dental clinics will also be required – starting on Sept 1, 2026 – to submit clinical justifications for Chas subsidy claims that exceed the fee benchmarks.

MOH will also be updating the accreditation requirements for Chas dental clinics. This includes getting all these clinics to be on board the Flexi-MediSave scheme. All dental practitioners in Chas dental clinics also have to be MediSave-accredited.

Practitioners can start applying for MediSave accreditation now, while clinics can submit applications from October.

Clinics that are not Flexi-MediSave-accredited by Dec 31, 2026, will be removed from the Chas scheme.