Dental Health Insurance and Oral Disease Burden in the WHO Western Pacific Region: A Scoping Review

Oral diseases remain a public health burden, while the integration of dental care into Universal Health Coverage (UHC) varies across countries. Evidence on dental health insurance systems in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region (WPR) remains heterogeneous. This scoping review mapped and synthesised evidence on dental health insurance systems and related UHC dimensions across 6 WPR countries. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, using searches of electronic databases, WHO and government websites, and reference lists for evidence published from 2000 to 2025. Of 1245 database records identified, 29 sources met the inclusion criteria. Substantial variation was observed in insurance architecture, dental benefit scope, financing, access, workforce distribution, equity, and financial protection. Preventive services were commonly represented, whereas restorative and complex services varied considerably. Formal insurance enrolment did not necessarily correspond to comparable levels of effective dental service access or financial protection. The 6 countries accounted for substantial proportions of the global 2023 burden of oral diseases. Dental health insurance arrangements are diverse across WPR countries. Advancing Universal Oral Health Coverage (UOHC) requires consideration of population coverage alongside service coverage, accessibility, equity, and financial protection, while oral disease burden should be interpreted as epidemiological context rather than as an outcome attributable to insurance arrangements.