Number of dental clinics per 100,000 inhabitants Japan 2019, by prefecture

As of October 2019, the prefecture with the highest density of dental practices in Japan was Tokyo Prefecture, with around 76.6 facilities per 100,000 inhabitants. Osaka ranked second with about 62.6 clinics per 100,000 of the population.

Dental clinics in Japan

Before the European treatment technique for tooth decay was introduced during the westernization movement in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), dental problems were commonly treated by doctors of internal medicine or surgery. The use of dentures improved with time, as bad teeth were mainly extracted instead of treated. The first Japanese dentistry-specialized clinic was opened in 1878 by a man who was licensed as the first 'dentist' in history in Japan. Following the establishment of the Dentist Law in 1948, dentistry in the country further expanded. In the past decade, the total number of dental clinics across the country has remained consistent at close to 70 thousand. Most dental practices in Japan are founded by private individuals, followed by clinics owned and operated as medical corporations. Additionally, there were over 1,000 general hospitals with dentistry departments.

National expenses on dental treatment

Along with the increasing national medical expenditure for medical treatments, national medical expenses for dental treatments have indicated continuous growth. This is said to be due to the rapidly aging social structure of the country. As a result, treatments for the population aged 65 years and over accounted for the highest share of dental care-related investments. To reduce the dental-related medical expenditure, the health ministry and the Japan Dental association conducted the "8020" project and promoted proper dental care to the nation to maintain more than 20 teeth at the age of 80. In 2017, the rate of Japanese nationals over 80 years old with 20 teeth exceeded 50 percent. This was the set goal by the health ministry in the second version of the general health policy "Health Japan 21" enacted in 2013.