Finding a dentist in Hong Kong 2026: dental general public sessions and clinics, checking a registered dentist, elderly vouchers and subsidies, and what to ask about private dental fees

Where can I find a dentist? How do public and private services differ?

Most registered dentists in Hong Kong are in private practice; the list of registered dentists and their clinic addresses can be found on the Dental Council of Hong Kong website (Department of Health Oral Health Education Unit).

On the public side, the Department of Health's dental general public sessions handle only pain relief and extraction; the 7 former Department of Health oral maxillofacial surgery and dental clinics (taken over by the Hospital Authority from 6 February 2026) mainly provide specialist care to inpatients, patients with special oral care needs and dental emergency patients (Government press release, December 2025).

For a sharp toothache or painful gums, the Department of Health Oral Health Education Unit advises seeing a dentist as soon as possible to find the cause; dental treatment is decided by the clinical situation, the patient's circumstances and the patient's wishes (Department of Health Oral Health Education Unit).

How do I register for a dental general public session? Do I still have to queue for a ticket?

Since 30 December 2024 dental general public sessions have used online registration, and people no longer need to queue at the clinic for a ticket; registration is open from 6 am to 11:30 am, for the next working day's session, and is not accepted if the next day is a Saturday or a public holiday (Department of Health, July 2026).

You register under your real name through the eHealth app, the iAM Smart app or the Department of Health's online registration system for dental general public sessions, and each person may register only 1 time a day; places are allocated by computer ballot, half of them are reserved for a priority ballot for elders aged 65 or above, and 5% of first-round places go to people who registered several times in the past 30 days without getting a place (Department of Health, July 2026).

Successful applicants receive an SMS from the sender name "#DH-DENT GP", and these messages carry no hyperlinks; you can also log in to the system from 12:30 pm on the day of registration to check the result, or call 2892 2111 from Monday to Friday (except public holidays), 9 am to 12:30 pm or 2 pm to 5 pm (Department of Health, July 2026).

Successful applicants must attend the assigned clinic at the assigned date and time with the original identity document used to register; anyone who needs help to register can go to any clinic with dental general public sessions between 8:30 am and 11:30 am, where staff will register them on site (Department of Health, July 2026).

What do dental general public sessions treat? How much do they cost?

The emergency service at dental general public sessions is pain relief or extraction; it does not include fillings, scaling, dentures or bridge removal, and extraction before orthodontic treatment is also outside its scope (Department of Health, July 2026).

From 1 January 2026 dental general public sessions are free for Eligible Persons; for Non-eligible Persons the consultation fee (including extraction and other emergency oral surgery) is HK$850, plus HK$90 per prescribed drug item (up to 4 weeks' supply) (Department of Health, July 2026).

Eligible Persons include Hong Kong Identity Card holders (except those issued the card on a permission to land or remain that has expired or is no longer valid), children under 11 who are Hong Kong residents, and others approved by the Director of Health; patients must show a valid identity document, and those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (Department of Health, July 2026).

Where are the dental general public session clinics, and when are they open?

The Department of Health has 11 clinics with dental general public sessions; Tai O and Cheung Chau dental clinics open for sessions 1 time a month (Department of Health, July 2026); all clinics hold their sessions in the morning (Department of Health list, May 2025).

Addresses and barrier-free facilities are in the Department of Health's list of dental clinics with general public sessions; outside session times, for Tai O, Cheung Chau and Mona Fong dental clinics call 2892 2111 (Department of Health list, May 2025).

How do I check that a dentist is registered?

On the Dental Council of Hong Kong website, "Search for Registered Dentists" lets you search by registration number, English name, Chinese name or registered address, and choose general or specialist registration (Dental Council).

The Dental Council publishes the lists of registered dentists on the General Register and the Specialist Register so that the public knows that the people listed are qualified under the Dentists Registration Ordinance to practise dentistry in Hong Kong, or are qualified to be on the Specialist Register under a specialty (Dental Council).

What dental specialties are there?

The Dental Council's Specialist Register has 8 specialties: Orthodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Periodontology, Endodontics, Paediatric Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Family Dentistry and Community Dentistry (Dental Council).

A specialist recognised by the Dental Council is permitted to use the specialist title, which may appear on signboards, name cards and stationery; the title recognises expertise in that field so that patients can be referred to the specialist for advice or treatment (Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Dental Practitioners, revised December 2019).

Whether a dental problem needs a specialist dentist is decided by the treating dentist according to the clinical situation.

Can elders use Health Care Vouchers for dental care? What other subsidies are there?

Elders aged 65 or above holding a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption (except those issued the card on a permission to land or remain that has expired or is no longer valid) can use vouchers to pay for services from dentists enrolled in the scheme; each eligible elder receives HK$2,000 a year, with an accumulation limit of HK$8,000 (Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme website); see Elderly Health Care Vouchers.

Since 1 March 2025, dentists not yet listed on the Primary Care Directory may not continue to take part in the voucher scheme; the scheme website advises voucher users to check the list of enrolled healthcare service providers before a visit (Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme website).

From 1 January 2026 the Department of Health's Community Dental Support Programme took over from the Community Care Fund Elderly Dental Assistance Programme, which stopped accepting applications from that date (Government press release, August 2025).

Applicants to the Community Dental Support Programme must hold a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption, be registered with eHealth, and be current recipients of the Old Age Living Allowance, specified Social Welfare Department home or community care services, or a Hospital Authority medical fee waiver, or be homeless people assisted by a social worker of a designated NGO; they can contact a participating NGO dental clinic themselves or through a registered social worker (Department of Health Community Dental Support Programme). For fee waivers, see How to apply for a medical fee waiver.

If assessed as suitable by the attending registered dentist, participants can receive, every 180 days, an oral examination, X-rays, pain-relief medicine and up to 3 filling-or-extraction quotas, and every 365 days, scaling and root canal treatment for 1 tooth; participants with fewer than 20 teeth left whom a dentist assesses as having difficulty eating or chewing, and whose eating or chewing can be effectively restored by removable dentures, can receive them, up to 2 times, at least 5 years apart (Department of Health Community Dental Support Programme).

Participants pay an administration fee or co-payment by category: for example, Category B participants pay HK$50 per tooth filled or extracted, while for Category A the Government pays the administration fee in full; the co-payment for removable dentures is HK$500 per denture (Category A) or HK$1,000 (Category B); elders can use Elderly Health Care Vouchers to pay these charges (Department of Health Community Dental Support Programme).

Do public hospitals have dental services? How do I get referred?

On 6 February 2026 the Department of Health's hospital dental services merged with the Hospital Authority's oral maxillofacial surgery services and were taken over by the Hospital Authority; the 7 oral maxillofacial surgery and dental clinics, at Queen Mary Hospital, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital, Tuen Mun Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital and North District Hospital, continue at the same sites and merge with the dental and oral maxillofacial surgery services the Hospital Authority already ran at 6 public hospitals (Government press release, December 2025).

These clinics mainly provide specialist care to inpatients, patients with special oral care needs and dental emergency patients; the press release states that patients who opted out of the transfer must submit a new referral letter to book if they later seek care at Hospital Authority dental and oral maxillofacial surgery services, and pay the new-case consultation fee as arranged by the Hospital Authority (Government press release, December 2025).

Whether a referral is needed, and where to, is decided by the treating doctor or dentist according to the patient's condition.

How much do private dentists charge? What should I ask before booking?

Private dental fees are set by each clinic; ask the clinic directly before booking.

A dentist must display a notice in the waiting area telling patients they have the right to ask for a quotation before treatment; when a patient asks, the dentist must state the fees and, before providing a service, give to the best of their knowledge all the charges likely to be made (Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Dental Practitioners, revised December 2019).

Is the dentist on the Dental Council's list of registered dentists? If they call themselves a specialist, are they on the Specialist Register?

How much is an examination, X-ray, scaling, filling or extraction? Do the charges include X-rays and medicine?

Can you give a quotation before treatment? How many visits will it take, and roughly how much is each?

Do you accept Elderly Health Care Vouchers? If I use insurance or employer medical benefits, can you bill the insurer directly? For other ways to ask about fees, see How to ask about fees before seeing a doctor.

Frequently asked questions