Nearly all Swedish dental clinics charge above state benchmark

Dental prices at 94 percent of roughly 3,000 clinics in Sweden were above the state reference price, according to a new nationwide review.

Ekot reports that the comparison covered about 3,000 dental clinics. Lars Ohlsson of the Swedish Private Dental Association said there was no single explanation for the gap.

The reference price is a government benchmark, not a price cap. Försäkringskassan explains that dentists and dental hygienists can set their own prices under the general dental-care allowance.

That distinction matters to patients because the high-cost protection is calculated from the reference price, or the clinic price when that is lower. If a clinic charges more than the benchmark, the patient pays the difference as well as their normal share.

TLV sets a separate reference price for each treatment covered by state dental support. Patients can compare provider prices through the official Tandpriskollen service and should ask for a cost estimate before treatment.

The 94 percent figure describes whether clinic prices exceeded the benchmark, not how far above it each clinic was or whether every treatment at a clinic cost more.

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