Sweden to Provide Under 23s with Free Dental Care
Following government negotiations with the opposition Left Party, Sweden is to increase the maximum age for complimentary dental care from 19 to 23.
Ulla Andersson, economic spokesperson for the Left Party said that today, class is influential to dental care.
She said this step broadens Swedish welfare and is great news for all Sweden’s young people.
A similar change has already been trialed in the region of Västra Götaland, where dental care was offered free of charge to those aged up to 24. This saw double the amount of 20-21 year olds going to the dentist, in comparison to the figures before the change.
The official change will take place nationwide in two separate stages. The cap will be raised to the age of 21 by 2017, and to 23 in 2018.
This reform will cost an estimated 223 million kronor in 2017 and 463 million kroner the year after.
The Left Party have recently pushed through other healthcare reforms, such as free contraceptive pills for women under 20 (a move set to take place after summer 2017) and free mammography scans from next summer onwards.
More details on the plans for dental treatments will be included in the government’s full autumn budget, which will be released later this month.
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