Social Democrats promise sweeping dental care reform before election

The Social Democrats are campaigning on what they call the “dental care reform of the century”, SVT reports. Under the proposal, adults would pay no more than 10 per cent of the cost of dental treatment.

“In Sweden, people should be able to visit the dentist without being ruined financially,” party leader Magdalena Andersson said.

The party also wants to restore free dental care for people up to the age of 23. The benefit was abolished on 1 January 2025.

The Social Democrats are proposing more places in dental training programmes and want demand to determine where dentists work. The party says companies have primarily established themselves in large cities and that marketing has become more aggressive.

“It is a major problem in far too many parts of the country that there is no dentist,” Andersson said.

The proposal was criticised by Sweden Democrats parliamentary group leader Linda Lindberg, who said it was a “cheap copy” of her party’s main election promise. The Sweden Democrats have proposed extending dental care protection to “all Swedes”, with people paying no more than 10 per cent of treatment costs.

Under the current system, people over 67 will pay 10 per cent of the reference price for dental care from the beginning of the year. The protection covers treatments such as fillings, root canals, treatment for tooth decay and extractions, but not examinations, X-rays or preventive dental care.

The Social Democrats estimate that their reform would cost about 6 billion kronor a year, including the additional dental training places. The Left Party has also proposed a dental care protection scheme with an annual limit of 1,200 kronor and free dental care for people up to the age of 23. Its proposals would cost 4.5 billion kronor, according to the party’s calculations.