Indian Dental Insurance, Dental Insurance

If you opt for an Indian dental insurance plan, the costs incurred due to dental care would be paid for by the insurer. The Indian dental insurance sector is in its nascent stages and currently only a handful of dental insurance plans are available on a stand alone basis. A dental plan offers cover against sudden financial hardship due to dental emergencies.

Indian Dental Insurance: The Current Scenario

Unlike most western countries, specific dental insurance plans are not common in India. In India, oral health is normally integrated with the general health insurance schemes. However, some popular tooth care product companies have forged tie ups with general or health insurance companies to produce dental insurance products.

The efforts of the Indian Dental Association to bring out a comprehensive Indian dental insurance scheme have seen partial success so far.

Types of Indian Dental Insurance Plans

Indian dental insurance plans are mainly of two types:

Stand alone dental insurance plan: This type of plan covers the expenses related to general dental problems, such as periodontitis and extraction of permanent teeth due to ailments such as caries. In this plan, the amount of expense to be reimbursed as well as the period of such cover is fixed. This type of plan is generally provided by the popular dental care product companies in association with one of the insurance companies.

Dental insurance cover as part of general health insurance plan: This type of dental insurance is provided by the general insurance companies as part of their own general health insurance schemes, such as health advantage policy or student medical policy. Through this scheme, one can claim dental expenses along with the other kinds of reimbursements, such as the cost of medicines or hospitalization. This plan also offers tax benefits up to a certain fixed amount under the income tax act.

Tips on Indian Dental Insurance

Some popular health insurance policies that are offered by Indian insurance companies are the Mediclaim policy, accident policy and traffic accident policy. In cases where the Indian dental insurance is clubbed to these general health insurance policies, one has to look for the specific provisions that relate to the dental cover in these plans.