Medical Services Principal Secretary on Friday hosted officials from the Kenya Dental Association (KDA).
The Ministry of Health in a statement on its social media pages the agenda of the meeting was to advocate for oral health within the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
According to the ministry, the discussions focused on key areas, including the expansion of Social Health Authority (SHA) benefits to cover comprehensive oral healthcare services.
"The officials also highlighted the need to boost local manufacturing, as over 90 per cent of dental materials and equipment are currently imported, leading to high costs and limited accessibility," the ministry said.
The ministry said the meeting underscored the need to enhance grassroots awareness and promote early intervention.
"The meeting emphasised the importance of training 750 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in oral health.
The ministry said the initiative aligns with the broader goal of shifting from curative to preventive care, ensuring timely diagnosis and management of oral health conditions.
There is a scarcity of data on oral health in Kenya, but experts say only one out of 10 Kenyans has dental health insurance coverage, with only a few forced to go for checkups once they happen to encounter a severe situation.
The Kenya National Oral Health Strategic Plan 2022-2026 says that of 2024, all adults in Kenya had at least one dental problem that requires medical attention.
People of low socioeconomic status carry a higher burden of oral diseases.
The Global Health Agency says oral diseases are among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 3.5 billion people.