With over 70% of Iranians unable to afford basic dental care, the regime’s policies have turned basic treatment into a luxury reserved for the wealthy.
While global advances in dentistry now allow people to maintain healthy teeth into old age, Iran is experiencing a silent but serious oral health crisis. Rising dental costs have turned basic medical care into an unaffordable luxury, particularly for low-income households, who are increasingly turning to tooth extraction as their only option for pain relief.
Officials and experts now warn that the majority of Iranians simply cannot afford basic dental treatment. According to members of the Iranian Medical Council and dental health experts, about 70% of the population cannot afford to pay for dental services.
One of the main drivers of this crisis is Iran’s extremely weak insurance coverage. Over 90% of dental costs are paid out of pocket, far exceeding global averages and effectively removing dental care from the household budget for millions. Depending on the plan, insurance rarely covers more than $2 million to $5 million, a fraction of the actual cost of treatment.
Cost of flight in the private sector
Estimates from 2023 to 2025 show striking price differences between public and private dental clinics — yet even public sector fees remain unaffordable for many.
Typical private sector costs include:
- Tooth extraction: 1.5–2 million tomans
- Single root canal + filling: 3.5–5 million tumans
- Crown PFM: 3.5–4.5 million tomans
- Typical dental implant: 16–30+ million vol
For most families, such expenses are completely out of reach.
Even in the public system, where prices are lower, costs remain prohibitive. The 2025 public tariff for a general dental exam is only listed at a few thousand dollars, but other services are much more expensive. For example:
- Extraction of wisdomite: ~633,000 tons
- Peeling & Polishing (each jaw): ~1.3 mil
Insurance coverage for these procedures is lacking, and many specialized treatments are either unavailable or highly restricted in state centers.
A national health disaster in progress
Economic difficulties are now clearly reflected in Iran’s dental health indicators, which experts describe as alarming:
- The average Iranian has six decayed or missing teeth.
- Among the elderly over 65: more than 55% are completely toothless and 90% suffer from tooth decay.
- Adults aged 30–40—those in their prime working years—have an average of 12–13 damaged or missing teeth.
- Iranian children are severely affected: the average 5-year-old child has five cavities or extracted teeth.
The removal of the subsidized currency and the implementation of programs such as Daroyard have further accelerated the crisis by increasing the costs associated with dentistry approximately 70%.
Forced deportation: The last resort for millions
Due to the rising cost of level 2 and 3 treatments—restorations, root canals, crowns and implants—Iran’s public clinics have become centers primarily for exports. With limited services and insufficient insurance coverage, people usually seek help only when deportation is unavoidable.
Health experts warn that export statistics are rising rapidly, reflecting a population that cannot afford treatment. In many cases, dental problems are not treated until the pain becomes unbearable.
A system designed to fail the poor
Iran’s policymakers have largely removed dental care from the category of basic medical services. Through a mixture of privatisation, mismanagement and budget cuts, dental treatment has been redefined as a cosmetic or optional service – despite being fundamental to public health.
This policy change, combined with unregulated fee inflation, has effectively created a two-tier dental system:
- one for the rich,
- and one where the poor have no choice but to lose their teeth.
As experts increasingly warn, this isn’t just a teething problem—it’s the onset of a preventable national health crisis fueled by economic mismanagement and a regime that prioritizes profit and control of the public welfare.
