Government Dental Clinic HK 2026: Public Sessions & Ballot

Department of Health dental public sessions give eligible people free emergency care (pain relief, extractions) at 11 government clinics; you enter an online ballot from 6:00 to 11:30am on the working day before.

There is no official rating, and this site does not rate or rank clinics. This guide sets out what can be checked against Department of Health (DH) pages and government press releases: where the 11 clinics are, which days they run, how the online ballot works, the fees, who is eligible, what the sessions do and do not cover, and what to do if you are not selected. To compare other low-cost routes such as the FTU, Yan Chai, Caritas and TWGHs clinics, see Affordable Dental Care in Hong Kong 2026.

What is a dental general public session?

The DH provides free dental treatment to the public through designated sessions at 11 government dental clinics [3]. The sessions are for emergencies. The DH page describes the scope as relief of pain and tooth extraction [1], and a January 2025 press release says the sessions are dedicated to emergency dental treatment: prescriptions for pain relief, extraction of teeth, or other emergencies such as oral abscesses [4].

It is not a general dental clinic. You will not get a filling, a scale and polish or a denture there. It is also separate from oral and maxillofacial surgery in public hospitals and from community dental clinics run by non-profit groups. For hospital referrals, see the hospital dentistry guide.

The 11 clinics, session days and phone numbers

The list below comes from the DH page of clinics offering general public sessions [2]. Every session is a morning session on the listed days. There are no evening or Sunday sessions. For Tai O, Cheung Chau and Mona Fong, the DH asks you to call 2892 2111 outside session hours.

Clinic	Address	Phone	Session days (AM)
Kennedy Town Community Complex Dental Clinic	10/F, Kennedy Town Community Complex, 12 Rock Hill Street, Kennedy Town	3583 3461	Monday, Friday
Kowloon City Dental Clinic	3/F, Kowloon City Health Centre, Kowloon City Government Offices, 42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom	2768 9721	Monday, Thursday
Kwun Tong Dental Clinic	LG/F, Kwun Tong Community Health Centre Building, 60 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong	2345 4787	Wednesday
Tai O Dental Clinic	Tai O Jockey Club Clinic, 103 Shek Tsai Po Street, Tai O	2985 7657	2nd Thursday of each month
Cheung Chau Dental Clinic	2/F, St. John Hospital, Cheung Chau Hospital Road, Cheung Chau	2981 0578	1st Friday of each month
Mona Fong Dental Clinic	1/F, Mona Fong Clinic, 23 Man Nin Street, Sai Kung	2163 9250	Thursday
Tai Po Wong Siu Ching Dental Clinic	1 Po Wu Lane, Tai Po	2652 3737	Thursday
Fanling Health Centre Dental Clinic	3/F, Fanling Health Centre, 2 Pik Fung Road, Fanling	2671 2046	Tuesday
Tsuen Wan Dental Clinic	213 Sha Tsui Road, Tsuen Wan	2492 0880	Tuesday, Friday
Yan Oi Dental Clinic	2/F, Yan Oi Polyclinic, 6 Tuen Lee Street, Tuen Mun	2452 3265	Wednesday
Yuen Long Government Offices Dental Clinic	1/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long	2690 5126	Tuesday, Friday

Note that the DH clinic list is dated 1 May 2025, so check the booking system before you set off. Going by this list, there is no session clinic in Eastern, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin or Sha Tin. For other public and non-profit options nearby, see Kowloon City, Yuen Long, Kwun Tong or all districts.

How to register: the online ballot in six steps

Since 30 December 2024, registration has been online. The old practice of queuing outside the clinic for a disc has ended [1][3]. The current DH procedure [1]:

Register the working day before: 6:00am to 11:30am, for the next working day. If the next day is a Saturday or public holiday, the system does not take registrations.
Choose a channel: the eHealth app, the iAM Smart app or the DH online registration web page. Registration is in your real name, once per person per day.
Computer ballot: the ballot runs straight after registration closes. Half of the quotas go first to people aged 65 or above; older people not picked in that round join the general ballot.
Check the result: successful applicants get an SMS from "#DH-DENT GP", which contains no links. You can also check the system after 12:30pm that day or call 2892 2111.
Waiting list: quotas freed by cancellations go to the waiting list, and successful waitlisted people get an SMS by 9pm on the registration day. People who registered several times in the past 30 days without success get 5% of first-round quotas and priority on the waiting list.
On the day: bring the original identity document you registered with. Under-18s must come with a parent or guardian. If you cannot attend, cancel through "Enquiry of Ballot Result or Cancel Appointment".

No smartphone? The DH says you can go to any session clinic between 8:30am and 11:30am and staff will register you on the spot. District Health Centres and Expresses, District Councillors' offices, Care Teams and designated social welfare organisations also help [1]. The DH said in January 2025 that successful applicants must arrive at the clinic at 8:30am on the appointment day [4].

Typhoons: if bad weather cancels a session, the appointment moves to the same clinic and time slot seven days later. Tai O and Cheung Chau move to the next monthly session [1].

What is covered and what is not

Covered: pain relief, extraction (one tooth per visit) and other emergencies such as oral abscesses [1][4].
Not covered: fillings, scaling and polishing, dentures, bridge removal, and extractions before orthodontic treatment [1].
Not a check-up: the DH noted in January 2025 that some people allocated a quota did not attend, partly because they did not know the service was limited to emergency treatment [4]. For fillings or cleaning, see "Not selected, or the wrong service?" below.

Fees and eligibility

From 1 January 2026, the DH lists [1]:

Eligible persons, free: holders of a Hong Kong Identity Card issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (except where it was obtained on a permission to land or remain that has expired), Hong Kong resident children under 11, and others approved by the Director of Health.
Non-eligible persons: HK$850 per attendance, including extractions and other oral surgical emergencies, plus HK$90 per prescribed drug item for up to four weeks.

The table lists published figures. Private-clinic ranges are not repeated here; see Hong Kong dental fees.

Route	What it covers	What you pay	Source
DH dental general public session	Pain relief, extraction, oral abscesses and other emergencies	Free for eligible persons; non-eligible HK$850 per attendance, HK$90 per drug item	[1]
Community Dental Support Programme (NGO clinics)	Check-up, X-ray, pain medicine, fillings or extractions, scaling, root canal, removable dentures	Category B: check-up, X-ray and pain medicine free; HK$50 per filling or extraction, HK$50 scaling, HK$50 per root canal, HK$1,000 per denture. Category A: many items fully subsidised, HK$500 per denture	[5]
Non-profit or private clinic, self-pay	General dentistry	Set by each clinic; ask first	Fees overview

The Community Dental Support Programme is limited to people receiving the Old Age Living Allowance, certain Social Welfare Department services or a public-hospital medical fee waiver, who are also registered with eHealth. Older people can pay the co-payments with Elderly Health Care Vouchers [5]. For the full picture, see Hong Kong dental subsidies.

Waiting and your chance of a place

The DH does not publish quotas per session, daily registration numbers or success rates [1][4], so this site does not estimate them. What can be checked: half the quotas are reserved for people aged 65 or above, and in January 2025 the DH said it would adjust quotas according to each clinic's absence rate and temporarily run an over-subscription ballot [4]. Several clinics run one or two mornings a week, and Tai O and Cheung Chau run once a month, so pick your clinic with that in mind.

Is it a good fit? It depends on your situation

Your situation	Does a public session fit?	Next step
HKID holder with toothache who needs pain relief or an extraction and can wait until the next working day	Worth considering: free for eligible persons	Register 6:00–11:30am the working day before
Aged 65 or above	Worth considering: half the quotas are balloted first for older people	If you receive the Old Age Living Allowance, also look at the Community Dental Support Programme
You want a filling, cleaning, dentures or a full check-up	No: outside the scope	NGO clinics or the Community Dental Support Programme
Toothache on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday or at night	No: sessions run on weekday mornings	Toothache triage guide
A lot of swelling in the mouth, or trouble swallowing or breathing	Do not wait for the ballot	Go to A&E now, see below
Visitor or non-resident without an HKID	Non-eligible fee from HK$850	Compare other routes

Not selected, or the wrong service?

Register again: you can register every working day, and repeated unsuccessful applicants get the 5% compassionate share and waiting-list priority [1]. You can also choose a clinic that runs on a different day.
Eligible older people: use the Community Dental Support Programme by contacting a participating NGO dental clinic directly [5].
Non-profit clinics: compare fees and booking in the affordable dental care guide.
Private dentists: first check registration and specialist status on the Dental Council register [6]; the steps are in How to Verify a Dentist in Hong Kong.

How to complain

Registration, ballot or cancellation: call the DH enquiry line 2892 2111, Monday to Friday except public holidays [1].
Professional conduct: the Dental Council of Hong Kong accepts complaints involving unprofessional conduct by a registered dentist [7].

When to get help immediately

Go to A&E straight away, without waiting for a ballot, if toothache comes with difficulty breathing, speaking or swallowing, a painful swollen eye or sudden problems with your vision, widespread swelling in the mouth, or you cannot open your mouth [8]. Public sessions run on weekday mornings and need a ballot the day before, so they are not same-day emergency care. For triage, see Toothache in Hong Kong.

FAQ

Are government dental clinics' public sessions any good?

There is no official rating. What can be checked: 11 DH clinics run the sessions, they are free for eligible persons, they cover emergency care such as pain relief and extractions, and you enter an online ballot the working day before. They suit people who need pain relief or an extraction and can wait a day, not people who want a filling or a clean.

When do I register and how does the ballot work?

Register between 6:00am and 11:30am on the working day before, in your real name, through eHealth, iAM Smart or the DH web page. The computer ballot runs after the window closes; successful applicants get an SMS from "#DH-DENT GP", and results are in the system after 12:30pm.

How much does it cost?

Free for eligible persons, meaning HKID holders and Hong Kong resident children under 11. From 1 January 2026, non-eligible persons pay HK$850 per attendance plus HK$90 per drug item.

Can I get a filling or a scale and polish at a public session?

No. The DH says the sessions do not include fillings, scaling and polishing, dentures, bridge removal or extractions before orthodontic treatment.

How do I register without a smartphone?

Go to any session clinic between 8:30am and 11:30am and staff will register you. District Health Centres, Expresses and designated organisations can also help.

Related guides

This article compiles public information from the Department of Health and other government sources. It is not a recommendation or ranking. Information checked on 2026-11-06; please follow the DH's latest notices before registering.

Sources

Department of Health: Dental General Public Session (page dated 2026-07-30, checked 2026-11-06)
Department of Health: Dental clinics with general public sessions (page dated 2025-05-01, checked 2026-11-06)
Government press release: DH to launch Online Registration System for General Dental Public Session on December 30 (2024-12-06)
Government press release: DH optimises online registration system for dental general public session (2025-01-03)
Department of Health: Community Dental Support Programme (checked 2026-11-06)
Dental Council of Hong Kong: General and Specialist Registers (checked 2026-11-06)
Dental Council of Hong Kong: Complaints (checked 2026-11-06)
NHS: Dental abscess (checked 2026-11-06)

This article is general health information and does not replace personal advice from a dentist.

※ Actual fees depend on case difficulty.

Government Dental Clinic Public Sessions in Hong Kong: 2026 Clinics, Online Ballot, Fees and Eligibility