SINGAPORE – Come October, Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) dental clinics will have to prominently display fee benchmarks next to their price lists, to aid patients make better informed choices.

Fee benchmarks indicate the reasonable range of fees that patients could expect to pay for routine and typical cases.

According to benchmarks published by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sept 1, polishing should cost between $26 and $38, and scaling should cost $35 to $60. A root canal treatment for a molar tooth should cost $872 to $1,400.

This aims to complement the

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From Oct 1, Chas subsidies of up to $45.50 will be extended for 10 basic and preventive dental procedures, such as scaling and polishing, to Chas Orange cardholders.

These are Singaporeans with a per capita household monthly income of between $1,501 and $2,300, or who have no income but reside in a residence of annual home value between $21,001 and $31,000.

More subsidies will also be provided for seven restorative dental procedures, such as root canal treatment and dentures, for Pioneer Generation (PG) , Merdeka Generation (MG) , Chas Blue and Chas Orange cardholders.

For instance, a PG cardholder getting a molar root canal treatment in a private clinic can get the maximum subsidy of $594.50, up from $266.50 previously.

An MG cardholder getting a molar root canal treatment can see his out-of-pocket payment nearly halved to $370 from $700.

From mid-2026, seniors aged 60 and above can also tap on Flexi-MediSave to offset up to $400 each year, when they go for root canal treatments and permanent crowns at Chas dental clinics and public healthcare institutions.

Flexi-MediSave allows individuals to use their MediSave or their spouse’s MediSave up to a limit each year for outpatient treatments.

The new MOH fee benchmarks for 18 dental procedures under Chas are meant to complement the subsidy enhancements .

Fee benchmarks are not strict fee caps. However, dental providers should refer to and quote the relevant fee benchmark when discussing treatment charges with patients.

Besides having to display the fee benchmarks from Oct 1, Chas dental clinics will also be required – starting Sept 1, 2026 – to submit clinical justifications for Chas subsidy claims that exceed the fee benchmarks.

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