Portugal explainedARCHIVED BRIEFING · Update · Healthcare

Some 16- and 18-year-olds must request their dental voucher by 31 August

ULS Médio Tejo says eligible young people born in 2010 or 2008 can ask their health centre for the cheque-dentista before the end of August if they used the earlier school oral-health programme.

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Archived after its publication day. Search retains this original briefing for background and accountability.

Archived 31 August 2026
IN BRIEF

Families in the Médio Tejo should check eligibility now because the request is not automatic and the remaining window is short.

  • The request deadline is 31 August.
  • The notice covers eligible young people born in 2010 or 2008.
  • They must have used the earlier school oral-health programme.
  • The voucher is requested from the health centre and can be used with a participating dentist.
01

Who should check now

The Médio Tejo local health unit is reminding families that certain 16- and 18-year-olds have until 31 August to request a dental voucher. The notice applies to young people born in 2010 or 2008 who used the relevant earlier stage of the national school oral-health programme.

Age alone is not enough to establish entitlement. The health centre must confirm the young person's programme history and current eligibility, so ask while there is still time to correct an incomplete record.

02

How the voucher is used

The request is made through the health centre. Once issued, the voucher gives access to prevention, diagnosis or treatment with a dentist participating in the national oral-health programme; it is not limited to a dentist in the municipality of residence.

Before booking, confirm that the chosen practice is currently participating and that the treatment falls within the voucher. Keep the issued document or digital record and any appointment confirmation.

03

Do not confuse this with the younger age groups

The programme also has school referral routes for children aged 7, 10 and 13. Those referrals follow different timing and can involve a dentist or oral-hygiene assessment, depending on local arrangements.

For the 16- and 18-year-old extension highlighted by ULS Médio Tejo, the immediate job is to contact the registered health centre before 31 August and ask whether the voucher can be issued.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

What you can do now.

  1. 01

    Contact the registered health centre before 31 August.

  2. 02

    Ask it to confirm programme history and eligibility.

  3. 03

    Choose a currently participating dentist.

  4. 04

    Keep the voucher and appointment record.

Last reviewed24 August 2026

Written by the Portugal Hub Editorial Desk for international residents. This is general information; check legal, financial and safety decisions against the current facts of your case.

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