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Dentistry is changing: Amalgam fillings will finally be a thing of the past from 2025!
From 2025, glass ionomer cement will replace amalgam in dentistry in Austria. Focus on health insurance benefits and future prospects.
Dentistry is changing: Amalgam fillings will finally be a thing of the past from 2025!
Significant changes to dental fillings are coming in Austria, as the controversial amalgam will be banned across the EU from January 1, 2025. After long negotiations, the Dental Association and the Insurance Association for Public Employees, Railways and Mining (BVAEB) have reached an agreement. From this date, glass ionomer cements and the new material alkasite will be available as health insurance benefits to replace amalgam. This decision impacts over 1.2 million BVAEB policyholders who will benefit from the new regulations. The tariff for these materials is based on the previous rates for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 15 years of age, while composite fillings in the area of the posterior teeth still have to be paid for privately Kosmo.at reported.
Dispute over reimbursement of costs
The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) has not yet been able to reach an agreement with the Dental Association, but has shown a certain degree of concession by being prepared to pay 20 percent more for amalgam-free fillings. Nevertheless, the dental association rejects this and is pushing for glass ionomer cement to be made available as a free material. This is causing frustration on the part of the ÖGK, which is even considering sending individual contract offers directly to dentists in order to overcome the deadlock. Despite the differences, the dental association remains willing to talk and appeals to the ÖGK and the social insurance for the self-employed (SVS) to use the agreement already reached as an example for future agreements MyDistrict.at noted.
With the approaching amalgam ban, the pressure is growing on everyone involved to ensure a broad and cost-effective supply of safer filling materials. The talks between the ÖGK and the Dental Association remain tense because an appointment planned for November was canceled. While the health insurance company continues to strive to offer solutions for the approximately 7.6 million insured people, it remains to be seen whether an agreement can be reached in the near future to facilitate the smooth transition to the new filling technology.