High costs, long waits, and limited specialists leave many low-income Malaysians at risk of severe tooth decay, highlighting urgent oral health gaps.
PETALING JAYA: Access to dental services in Malaysia is far from easy for many low-income families and children.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia public health specialist Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said overburdened public clinics and costly private services leave many at risk of severe tooth decay and related health complications.
“The prevalence of dental decay is significantly higher among low-income populations, with studies showing that children from low-income households experience a higher rate of untreated cavities compared with their higher-income peers.”
ALSO READ: Urgent need for awareness on special care dentistry
Sharifa said for families in rural or lower-income areas, cost, distance and poor insurance coverage often make treatment difficult, pushing them to delay care until decay is serious.
“In Malaysia, for families with small children, attending appointments, follow-ups and paying for treatment at private clinics can be financially draining.
“Public clinics, on the other hand, have a limited number of dentists and facilities, resulting in long waits and overloaded services.”
She said the system faces gaps not just due to locality but also because Malaysia lacks adequate facilities and trained specialists.
Sharifa said advanced fields such as orthodontics (teeth alignment), endodontics (root canal and pulp treatment), periodontics (gum and supporting tissue care), prosthodontics (crowns, dentures and implants), paediatric dentistry (children’s oral care), oral and maxillofacial surgery (jaw and facial procedures) and oral pathology (disease diagnosis) all require years of additional training.
She added that the number of specialists in these areas, however, remains limited.
“This strain is not the fault of clinics but the result of the small share of healthcare resources allocated to dental and oral health.”
She also said dental caries (tooth decay) remains widespread in Malaysia, posing a major public health challenge across all ages.
“The 2020 National Oral Health Survey found 85.1% of adults were affected. In 2015, 71.5% of five-year-olds had decay, highlighting high treatment needs, especially among children and the elderly.
“No single policy can address these challenges. Instead, a coordinated web of existing and future policies is needed to improve overall oral health.”
Sharifa said early prevention, awareness and access, particularly for low-income households, remain critical to reducing the prevalence of untreated cavities and the systemic health risks associated with dental decay.
