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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin revealed the government plans to strengthen dental health services in all community health centers (Puskesmas) after a free health check program indicated numerous dental issues among the public."The problem is, we lack dentists and dental health equipment," Budi said during an interview at the Ministry of Health in South Jakarta on Monday, October 27, 2025. He mentioned that Indonesia currently has a shortage of around 4,000 dentists.As a crucial first step, the Ministry of Health will install dental chairs in all community health centers and expand the range of services, which were previously limited to dental cleaning (scaling) and simple fillings."Now we want to add more services. Many children and school-age individuals have poor dental health," he stated.Budi noted that data from the public health check program showed the most common health issues were dental diseases, hypertension, and diabetes. He specified that about 50 to 60 percent of school-age children have dental problems. "That's quite high," he said.To address the workforce shortage, the Ministry of Health is encouraging universities to open more dental medicine study programs."I'm currently persuading for more dental schools. That's why Mr. Prabowo wants to add more," he remarked.Editor’s Choice: Indonesian Institute Calls for Monthly Press Conference on Free Nutritious Meal ProgramClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
