Ten years since the 2008 introduction of dental vouchers in the Portuguese NHS.

Since the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in Portugal, in 1979, dental care is neither provided nor funded by the NHS. Thus, most dental care is paid through out-of-pocket payments, either by patients themselves or through voluntary health insurance or health subsystems. In 2008 the government created the dental voucher targeting children, pregnant women, elderly who receive social benefits, and certain patient groups (HIV/AIDS patients and those who need early intervention due to oral cancer), to be used in private dentists who contracted with the programme.