Iran’s Hidden Dental Emergency: Soaring Costs Drive Millions to Choose Tooth Extraction Over Care

In Iran, over 70% of the population faces a daunting challenge: the inability to afford basic dental care. As a result, essential dental treatments have become a luxury that only the wealthy can access. The current policies have plunged the country into a severe oral health crisis, where soaring costs are forcing low-income families to resort to tooth extractions as their primary means of relief from dental pain.

Dental experts and officials have raised alarms about the financial barriers preventing millions of Iranians from receiving necessary dental treatment. According to members of Iran’s Medical Council and dental health specialists, around 70% of the population cannot afford basic dental services.

The Root Causes of the Dental Health Crisis

One of the significant factors contributing to this crisis is the extremely weak insurance coverage in Iran. More than 90% of dental expenses are paid out-of-pocket, which is alarmingly high compared to global averages. This situation effectively excludes dental care from the budgets of millions of households. Depending on the insurance plan, coverage rarely exceeds 2 to 5 million tomans, which is only a fraction of the actual costs associated with dental treatments.

Surging Costs in the Private Dental Sector

Estimates for the years 2023–2025 reveal significant price disparities between public and private dental clinics, with private-sector costs remaining unattainable for many families. Typical expenses in the private sector include:

• Tooth extraction: 1.5–2 million tomans
• Single-canal root canal + filling: 3.5–5 million tomans
• PFM crown: 3.5–4.5 million tomans
• Standard dental implant: 16–30+ million tomans

Such expenses are overwhelmingly out of reach for most families. Even in the public dental system, where fees are somewhat lower, costs remain prohibitive. For instance, the reported cost for a general dentist examination in 2025 is only a few thousand tomans, but other essential services are significantly more expensive:

• Wisdom tooth extraction: ~633,000 tomans
• Scaling & polishing (each jaw): ~1.3 million tomans

Insurance coverage for these procedures is inadequate, and many specialized treatments are either unavailable or heavily restricted in state-run clinics.

A Looming National Health Catastrophe

The financial struggles of the Iranian population are visibly reflected in alarming dental health statistics. Experts highlight the following concerning indicators:

• The average Iranian adult has six decayed or missing teeth.
• Among seniors over 65, more than 55% are completely toothless, and 90% suffer from decay.
• For adults aged 30–40, a critical working age, the average is 12–13 damaged or missing teeth.
• Severe effects are also seen in children, with the average 5-year-old having five decayed or extracted baby teeth.

The removal of subsidized currency, along with programs like Daroyar, has further exacerbated the situation, leading to an estimated 70% increase in dental-related costs.

Forced Extractions: A Last Resort for Many

Due to the skyrocketing costs associated with level 2 and 3 dental treatments—such as restorations, root canals, crowns, and implants—Iran’s public clinics have increasingly become centers primarily for tooth extractions. With limited services and inadequate insurance coverage, many people now seek help only when extraction becomes unavoidable.

Health experts warn that the statistics surrounding extractions are rising rapidly, which reflects a population unable to afford necessary therapeutic treatments. Many dental issues often go untreated until the pain becomes unbearable.

A System Designed to Fail the Underprivileged

Iran’s policymakers have largely removed dental care from the category of essential medical services. Through a combination of privatization, mismanagement, and budget cuts, dental treatment is now viewed as a cosmetic or optional service, despite its fundamental importance to public health.

This policy shift, coupled with unregulated inflation of dental fees, has effectively created a two-tier dental system:

• One system for the wealthy,
• And another where the poor are left with no choice but to lose their teeth.

As experts continue to warn, this issue transcends dental health; it signifies the emergence of a preventable national health crisis, driven by economic mismanagement and a regime that prioritizes profit and control over the wellbeing of its citizens.