Croatian contracted dentists say funding changes shortchange them and could affect patients

Croatia’s contracted dentists say new primary-health-care funding changes have widened, rather than corrected, a gap with other medical services.

MODDUS HR, an association representing nearly a quarter of contracted dentists, said the value of a dental team increased by only 7.45%. Health Minister Irena Hrstić had publicly said in June that the standard primary-care team would receive an average increase of 18%.

The association said the difference leaves a dental team about €12,000 a year, or roughly €1,000 a month, below a non-specialist general or family-medicine team. It also said dentists received a smaller increase for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The basic coefficient rose from €8 to €12, while the dental coefficient rose from €8 to €10.

MODDUS HR said dental teams had worked with reduced procedure prices from 2017 to June 2026. During that period, patient entitlements expanded and monthly procedure limits increased after the pandemic without matching price increases. The result, it said, was a 46% increase in workload at prices below those agreed in 2013.

The association warned that some practices reach their monthly treatment limits by the middle of the month. Continuing the current model could reduce services after the limit is reached and lengthen waits for contracted dental care. Practices in Slavonia, on the islands and in other depopulated areas face additional pressure because those with fewer than 1,411 patients receive 50% less funding for fixed operating costs. MODDUS HR has asked the Croatian Health Insurance Fund and the health minister to revise the funding model and include the association in a working group.

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After years of increasing workloads without providing additional financial resources to contracted dental teams, we expected the announced primary-health-care changes to correct the existing imbalance and inequality in funding. The opposite happened.