Vulnerable users who need oral rehabilitation will be able to access the prosthesis check provided for in the National Oral Health Promotion Program 2030.
The ordinance that establishes the program’s new operating model is published this Friday in Diário da República and comes into effect on Saturdaybut your implementation will take place on January 1, 2027scheduled date for the new version of the Oral Health Information System (SISO) to come into operation.
The New National Program for the Promotion of Oral Health 2030 (PNPSO 2030) introduces changes to the operating model of oral health in the National Health Service, strengthening the capacity for planning, coordination and execution of the program, according to the ordinance, to which the Lusa agency had access.
The new prosthetic check
One of the main novelties is the creation of the prosthetic checkaimed at the oral rehabilitation of vulnerable groups, expanding the program’s response to more complex clinical needs.
Os criteria to identify users in vulnerable situations will be defined laterthrough an order from the member of the Government responsible for the health area
The ordinance, signed by the Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo, also provides for the effective integration of the area into Local Health Units (ULS), promoting coordination between primary, hospital and public health care.
The model for organizing and operating oral health care in ULS must be based on principles of scientific, technical and functional autonomy, as well as collaboration between different professionals, in a model integrated by levels of care, in accordance with the guidelines defined by the Executive Board of the SNS.
Oral health professionals – including specialists in stomatology, dentists and oral hygienists – begin to act in an articulated manner within the scope of the program, ensuring the continuity and quality of care providedas well as equity in access.
The diploma also formalizes the National Oral Health Network, which integrates the SNS, the social sector and participating private providers, reinforcing the system’s responsiveness.
Care provided by entities in the social and private sectors must be carried out in duly qualified offices, by legally qualified professionals, respecting the scope of their competences.
The ordinance also establishes the reorganization and simplification of oral health checks, with greater adaptation to clinical and possibility of additional issuance of checks depending on need.
In 2025, more than 713 thousand oral health checks were issued, representing a increase of about 10% compared to the previous year.
The Ministry of Health estimates that the new program will increase the eligible population from around 850 thousand to around 1.6 million usersenabling double the number of interventions and care provided.
The diploma also focuses on the full digitalization of the program, with automatic issuance of checks, integration into the SNS 24 App and creation of the Oral Health Bulletin with clinical oral health records.
The new program also reinforces prevention and community intervention, notably in the school context.
The technical document of (DGS), with strategic and operational guidelines, will be published later.
In parallel, the oral health page on the SNS Portal will be updated, with a new interactive ‘dashboard’, which will allow citizens to locate oral health offices and participating providers to the program.
SISO is being developed within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Program and will support the automatic issuance of checks in compliance with the new rules now established, the monitoring of care provision and the integration of clinical data.
The Government emphasizes that this structural reform implements one of the priorities of the Government Program, translating into an effective decision to reorganize and expand the oral health response, with a direct impact on access, prevention and quality of care.
