It is more clearly defined what services dentists and orthodontists can provide, and additional funding for these services is planned. It is expected that these changes will help address the issue of waiting lists and encourage more healthcare institutions to provide orthodontic services, according to a press release from the Ministry of Health.
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“I fully understand the anxiety and disappointment of parents when a child needs orthodontic consultations or treatment and has to wait for months or even years. Together with the ministry’s specialists, we did what was currently possible to do quickly – we established a clear service procedure, provided additional funding, and opened the way for primary care specialists to take on part of the workload. This is a real step that will help healthcare institutions better plan their work and give families more opportunities to receive services faster,” says Minister of Health Linas Kukuraitis.
Dentists with the appropriate competencies, providing primary dental care services, have so far been able to diagnose and treat certain children’s bite anomalies with removable intraoral orthodontic appliances and apply preventive appliances. However, these services lacked separate funding and detailed requirements, which caused uncertainties in practice about which services belong to patients and how they are paid for.
The key change in addressing the situation in the field of primary dental care services is the introduction of additional payment not only for the orthodontic appliances themselves but also for their maintenance, such as fixing or adjusting them. Until now, maintenance of appliances was not paid for separately, so primary healthcare institutions were reluctant to join in providing these services. It is expected that the new funding will encourage more preventive services, help correct bite problems earlier, and help avoid more complex and expensive orthodontic treatment in the future.
A clearer service funding mechanism will also allow healthcare institutions to better plan the work of specialists and financial resources. Institutions wishing to provide these services will have to sign a contract with the State Health Insurance Fund (VLK) for preventive and therapeutic orthodontic appliances, and when providing secondary level services – also for orthodontist and secondary level dentist consultations. This will help consistently distribute patient flows and reduce excessive workload for orthodontists.
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The new procedure will be implemented in stages: for primary level dental care institutions with a contract with VLK, it will apply from November 1, 2026, and for institutions providing secondary level services – from April 1, 2027.
To allow institutions time to prepare, a transitional period is planned for the primary level. Until January 1, 2030, treatment of bite anomalies with removable appliances must be provided only by those primary institutions where dentists with the necessary competencies, who have completed the relevant studies or special university training, are already working. Other institutions will be able to assess the need for specialists and prepare during this period, and from January 1, 2030, all primary dental care institutions will have to ensure the provision of these services.
It is expected that a clearer service funding mechanism will provide healthcare institutions with more incentives and opportunities to provide orthodontic services. In the long run, this should increase the availability of these services for children and shorten waiting lists.
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