The Department of Health (DOH) is urging the government to invest more in oral health care as the country grapples with a shortage of dentists and a rising number of Filipinos suffering from oral health problems.
In a recent interview on PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, Health Undersecretary Emmie Liza Chiong said low salaries make it difficult for the government to attract dentists to public service.
“It is difficult for the government to attract dentists because their salaries are very low. That is why we are lobbying for a salary increase,” Chiong said.
Chiong noted that only 0.14 percent of the DOH’s proposed 2026 budget is allocated to oral health programs. She emphasized the importance of proper oral care, saying it plays a crucial role in a person’s overall health and well-being.
“We are calling for a bigger budget for the oral health program because it is really very small, and our resources in the department for oral health are very limited,” she said.
Need for More Dentists
The DOH is also pushing for the revival of the Oral Health Bureau to help advocate for a larger and more dedicated budget.
The DOH cited the severe shortage of dentists in the country, with only one dentist serving approximately 53,000 Filipinos.
This is far below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least one dentist for every 7,500 people.
Data from the DOH’s National Database of Selected Human Resources for Health showed that as of the end of 2025, only 2,400 dentists were employed in the public sector.
Meanwhile, the DOH’s 2021 National Monitoring and Epidemiological Dental Survey found that 92.4 percent of Filipinos had tooth decay, while 78 percent suffered from gum disease.
Government Dentists’ Salaries
Several measures are pending in Congress that aim to increase the starting monthly salary of government dentists.
Under the proposals, the entry-level position would be upgraded from Salary Grade (SG) 13, which pays P36,125, to SG 17, equivalent to P49,562. In comparison, private dentists typically earn between P50,000 and P60,000 per month.
The proposed legislation also seeks to raise the salary of Dentist VII — the highest position in the plantilla — from SG 28, with a monthly pay of P167,129, to SG 30, or P210,718. However, the bills remain pending at the committee level.
Chiong expressed hope that a larger budget allocation would allow more Filipinos to access much-needed dental services.
“Because we have limited resources, we also have limited commodities for a large number of Filipinos, which is truly disheartening,” she said.
