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Few would have recalled that the government had established a working group near the end of the pandemic to review local dental care if the Health Bureau had not mentioned it in response to criticisms that the less-than-friendly Audit Commission made in its most recent report.
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The working group was announced towards the end of 2022 when society was preparing to bid farewell to all kinds of pandemic-related social distancing.
Understandably, dental services had to be substantially cut back during Covid.
However, it was just shocking to learn from the damning audit report that the health authority took no steps towards bringing the reduced services back to prepandemic levels and allowed the capacity to remain at half the level in 2018/19.
What else could it be if not a shame?
The Health Bureau reminded society it had set up the working group for about a year and a half "to comprehensively review the dental care services provided or subsidized by the government."
It also reminded lawmakers and the media that the Dentists Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024 was submitted to the Legislative Council earlier this month.
It aims to overhaul the legal framework to create new pathways for admitting non-locally trained dentists to practice in Hong Kong and, among other things, introduce an internship for dental graduates at dental facilities in the public sectors or NGOs.
What a coincidence in timing between the tabling of the bill to Legco and the government auditor's probe into the local dental services.
The director of audit deserves two thumbs up for making the government move more quickly. The latter should have taken the initiative to increase the quota to allow more people see public dentists and should have introduced the bill before the Audit Commission opened the investigation.
In its reply, the Health Bureau seemed to give a summary of what it is doing now, but a major piece is missing: a timetable to make the promises come true.
When will the first batch of overseas dentists be admitted into Hong Kong? How long will it take to raise the quota to at least prepandemic levels?
It is obvious that more needs to be revealed to make the promises assuring.
Those already suffering from toothache will find it impossible to wait to see a fruitful outcome from all these promises.
While public dental services are ridiculously reserved for civil servants - including the retired - and their dependants, ordinary citizens have to either face spending seven hours in the queue to secure a slot on the day or see a dentist in private practice. But it costs a fortune to see a private dentist, particularly for those on low incomes.
Before balance can be restored to an imbalanced market sector, more Hongkongers are expected to seek dental care in Shenzhen, where fees are reportedly only a third of those here.
It is small wonder the Dental Association is waking up to offer free oral health checks for 100,000 people next month.
Market force is again showing its magic power.
