Primary Dental Co-care
Pilot Scheme for Adolescents (PDCC)
HomePrimary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents (PDCC)PublicFAQ

FAQ

Programme Background

1. What is “Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents”?

The “Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents” (PDCC) provides partial subsidies to private dental check-up services for adolescents once every calendar year upon leaving School Dental Care Service (SDCS). The PDCC assists the establishment of a reliable dentist-patient relationship for adolescents, so as to promote their life-long habit of regular dental check-ups for prevention of dental diseases.

2. Who can enrol in the PDCC?

To enrol in the PDCC, an adolescent is required to meet the following criteria:

  • a holder of a valid Hong Kong Identity Card within the meaning of the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177, of the laws of Hong Kong), unless he/ she is a holder of the Hong Kong Identity Card by virtue of a previous permission to land or remain in Hong Kong granted to him/ her and such permission has expired or ceased to be valid; or is a holder of a valid Certificate of Exemption within the meaning of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap.115, of the laws of Hong Kong);
  • an adolescent aged 13 to 17 (or will be aged 13 in the calendar year the application to enrol is made. For the avoidance of doubt, a person will cease to be eligible once he reaches the age of 18); and
  • has joined the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHealth) and agrees to share his/ her data in the eHealth with related service providers.
    For eligible person aged below 16, a substitute decision maker (SDM) should register eHealth for him/her.
3. How many times can a Scheme Participant receive subsidised services each year?

Once.

4. How is a year calculated in the PDCC?

Under the PDCC, a year refers to a calendar year, which is from January 1 of each calendar year to December 31 of that year.

Enrolment in PDCC

5. I will turn 13 years old this year, can I enrol in the PDCC?

Yes. Adolescents who will turn 13 this year are eligible to enrol in the PDCC throughout the year, even before their 13th birthday.

6. I will turn 18 years old this year, can I enrol in the PDCC?

Adolescents are eligible to enrol in the PDCC before they reach the age of 18. They will become ineligible to enrol in the PDCC and receive the subsidized services from the day they turn 18.

7. Does enrolment in the PDCC require a financial means test?

No. There are no prerequisites for a financial means test for eligible adolescents to enrol in the PDCC. Any eligible adolescents aged between 13 and 17 can enrol in the PDCC.

8. Do eligible adolescents need to pre-register for the PDCC?

No. Eligible adolescents or their parents can contact the dental clinic directly to book an appointment and explicitly inform their intention to enrol in the PDCC.

9. Do I need to bring any documents when enrolling in the PDCC?

Eligible adolescents must bring their completed Application and Consent Form signed by their parents/guardians, the Oral Health Questionnaire and their original Hong Kong Identity Card upon enrolment in the PDCC.

10. How can eligible adolescents obtain information about the Private Dentists participating in the PDCC and select a suitable Private Dentist?

Eligible adolescents or their parents can select a suitable Private Dentist according to their own choice. The list of Private Dentists can be found in the website of the PDCC, with their essential information including practice district, co-payment fee under the PDCC and charges for self-financed dental services (for example, x-rays, dental fillings or extractions, etc.).

11. Can eligible adolescents select their current private dentist when participating in the PDCC?

If eligible adolescents’ attending private dentist has already enrolled in the PDCC Pilot Scheme, they should contact the dental clinic directly and explicitly inform their intention to enrol in the PDCC Pilot Scheme. In addition, Private Dentists who have enrolled in the PDCC can also invite their eligible patients to join the PDCC.

PDCC Subsidised Services

12. What is the scope of subsidised services provided under the PDCC?

The scope of subsidised services provided by Private Dentists includes the following items:

  • Dental check-ups
  • Individualised oral health risk assessment
  • Dental scaling;
  • Personal self-care advice on oral care and personal lifestyle for maintenance of good oral health;
  • Fluoride application as a risk-based follow-up procedure; and
  • Check-up report and explanation of the Scheme Participant’s oral health risk and oral condition.
13. Can Scheme Participant receive services from more than one dentist under the PDCC?

Scheme Participant is eligible to receive subsidised services under PDCC only once every calendar year. In the next year, Scheme Participant can select any suitable Private Dentist according to their own choice by searching the website of the PDCC and contact the dental clinic directly to book an appointment.

14. If I have not received subsidised dental services under the PDCC this year, can the unused subsidy be carried over to the next year for use?

No. To encourage adolescents to have regular dental check-ups every year, unused subsidy cannot be carried over to the next year for use.

15. How can a Scheme Participant reschedule an appointment with the dental clinic?

The Scheme Participant should contact the dental clinic directly to reschedule an appointment.

16. Do Scheme Participants need to be accompanied by their parents when receiving services under the PDCC?

Not necessarily, but we recommend the parents/guardian to accompany the Scheme Participants in the subsidised visit for better communication with the dentists and accurate understanding of their oral conditions.

17. How can I get the check-up report after completing the oral examination?

The Private Dentist will provide you with a check-up report after completing the oral examination and explain the report to you. The report will also be uploaded to eHealth mobile application and made available for Scheme Participants to view.

PDCC Non-subsidised Items

18. After an oral examination, if the dentist recommends follow-up dental treatment (for example, dental fillings), would this be subsidised under the PDCC?

No. The PDCC only subsidises Scheme Participants to receive designated services. The Scheme Participant shall bear all of the cost of dental services that fall outside the scope of subsidised services at his/her own expense.

19. How can I know the fees for dental services that fall outside the scope of subsidised services charged by Private Dentists?

The fees of PDCC Non-subsidised Items charged by Private Dentists can be found in the website of the PDCC.

Co-payment and Government Subsidies

20. What is “co-payment fee”?

The provision of the subsidised services under the PDCC is subsidised by the Government with a fixed amount of subsidy. “Co-payment fee” is the remaining amount after the subsidy that the Scheme Participant should pay directly to his/her dentist.

21. What is the amount of the government partial subsidy under the PDCC?

The Government provides a fixed amount of partial subsidy of $200 annually.

22. What is the co-payment fee required upon receiving subsidised dental services under the PDCC?

The Scheme Participant is required to pay the co-payment fee determined by the Private Dentist. The Government recommends $200 as the co-payment fee. The Scheme Participant should pay the co-payment fee directly to his/her dentist. The website of the PDCC provides the list of co-payment fee charged by Private Dentists under the PDCC.

23. Do Scheme Participants have any exemptions for co-payment?

No. There is no fee waiver mechanism under the PDCC.