Visiting the dentist in Greenland

All healthcare services in Greenland are public and thus free of charge for permanent residents of the country. This also applies to dental treatment. If you are staying temporarily in Greenland, you are only entitled to necessary and emergency dental treatment.

There are public dental clinics in towns with more than 500 inhabitants, which are responsible for dental care in the towns and their associated villages. The dental clinics offer normal dental examinations, preventive treatment, root canal and caries treatment, orthodontics and denture work.

The villages are visited by a dentist at least once a year, with the exception of the smallest settlements. The dentist announces the time of the visit in advance in the village, so that residents can book appointments.

There are also private dental clinics in Nuuk.

To visit the dentist, you should first make an appointment by phone. The clinics have various times when citizens can call and book a time – typically for the same day. However, there can be long waiting times on the phone and you cannot always be sure of getting an appointment on the same day when you get through. In this case, you should try again the next day. Some clinics also offer open emergency consultations.

Dental clinics regularly visit kindergartens and schools to provide advice on dental care and dental hygiene. In addition, children and young people are called for regular dental examinations at the following age intervals: 8 months, 14 months, 26 months, 3 years, 4½ years, 5-6 years, 9 years, 11-12 years and 15 years.

If you are moving to Greenland with children, you should notify the local dental clinic of the relocation so that they can register your child for the regular dental examinations.

The Great Toothbrush Day is also held annually, with activities all over the country focusing on good dental health.

To be entitled to free dental care in Greenland, you must:

• Be registered as a resident of Greenland
• Have a Danish or Greenlandic civil registration number

If you are staying temporarily in Greenland, you can obtain necessary and emergency dental treatment.

The same rules as in the case of other healthcare services apply to Nordic citizens from countries other than Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark.