Health minister Edith Schippers on Monday told dentists to cut their fees or face having pricing brought back under government control.

Dentists have been free to determine their own charges since the beginning of the year, a move Schippers said would improve quality and lead to lower charges.
However, fees went up an average 9.6% in the first three months of this year, according to research by the national health authority NZa. An ordinary check-up has gone up by an average 3.1% while crowns are some 18.5% more expensive to place, the NZa survay showed.
Most dental insurance policies only cover a fixed amount of money, leaving patients to make up the difference.
Last chance
Schippers has commissioned new research which will be completed in the autumn. If prices have not come down by then, the government will once again set the fees, she said. The NZa has already been asked to start the preparations.
Insurance company VGZ said in February dentists were abusing the system by increasing their charges up to 10%. Research by Nos television also indicated fees had gone up sharply.
However, the dentists’ lobby group NMT says insurance companies have put up the cost of dental insurance while reducing coverage.
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