Teens set to smile with new dental subsidy
Permanent Secretary for Health Thomas Chan on Saturday said he hopes a government plan to subsidise teenagers to check their teeth will encourage the habit of regular dental check-ups.  Under the Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents, the government will provide a fixed subsidy for 13 to 17 years olds to have check-ups at private dental clinics.  "For the adolescents dental check programme, our idea is to continue the good work that we've done already for the student dental programme, in order to encourage the teenagers, especially secondary school students, to continue their habit of having regular dental checks, and also to identify any risk factors or teeth problems that need to be attended to," he told reporters after attending a radio programme.  Chan said the scheme is expected to be implemented early next year at the latest, adding that officials are in talks with the dental industry to come up with a reasonable price.   He added that authorities will also work with NGOs to identify underprivileged groups and provide them with special dental services.   "Our plan is to identify further underprivileged groups for more comprehensive and targeted dental service. The idea is to collaborate with certain NGOs that have the capacity to provide dental care, which also at the same time have the network to reach out to these underprivileged groups like those in subdivided flats and those in lower-income families," he said.