Israeli Restrictions Threaten Gaza Dental Clinics, Leaving Families Unable To Afford Root Canals

In Gaza, a decision to see a dentist has shifted from an urgent necessity imposed by pain to a priority dictated by Gazans’ ability to endure the pain versus their financial capacity to pay for treatment.

“The crisis in the health sector in the Gaza Strip is no longer limited to hospitals and medicines, but has extended to the field of dentistry and dental manufacturing, which faces the threat of total collapse due to the Israeli blockade and the depletion of essential raw materials, threatening thousands of patients with the deprivation of therapeutic and rehabilitative services that have become nearly halted”

Al-Jazeera Net

وكالة شهاب الإخبارية reports that dental clinics in the Gaza Strip face a choking crisis threatening their continued operation due to a sharp shortage of basic medical supplies resulting from Israeli restrictions that have lasted for more than two and a half years.

Al-Jazeera Net

The report says the shortage has led to the closure of some clinics and forced others to work with limited and lower-quality alternatives, amid warnings of an almost complete halt of services in a short period.

Aliya Abu Hamid, 40, told the outlet that her daughter Shaima (15) has been living for days with unrelenting toothache after it became clear she needs a root canal filling that the family can no longer afford amid rising treatment prices.

Dental technician Hazem Kahil said the dental sector in Gaza is in a state of near-complete paralysis due to the acute shortage of basic materials, threatening the continuity of services in clinics.

The crisis has directly reflected in treatment prices, which have risen notably, amid a mismatch between scarce materials and rising demand that has doubled the burden on patients and reduced their chances of receiving proper treatment.

وكالة شهاب الإخبارية says essential materials such as fillings, anesthetic materials, cosmetic pastes, and other necessary supplies are lost or scarce, leaving families to choose between treatment now or delaying to an unknown date.

Wakala Shihab al-ikhbariyya

It reports that the paste used in making artificial teeth has surged, with the price per kilogram rising to about 4,000 shekels after it had not exceeded 150 shekels.

The outlet adds that root canal treatment rose from between 80 and 120 shekels previously to about 300 shekels now, while impression material used to cost around 120 shekels before a component price jumped to around 1,000 shekels.

Dentist Alaa Matar described toothache as among the most painful experiences a person may endure, saying doctors face a heavy humanitarian responsibility in light of the shortages and unprecedented prices.

Al-Jazeera Net says the health crisis in the Gaza Strip is no longer limited to hospitals and medicines, but has extended to dentistry and dental manufacturing, which faces the threat of total collapse due to the Israeli blockade and the depletion of essential raw materials.

“The crisis in the health sector in the Gaza Strip is no longer limited to hospitals and medicines, but has extended to the field of dentistry and dental manufacturing, which faces the threat of total collapse due to the Israeli blockade and the depletion of essential raw materials, threatening thousands of patients with the deprivation of therapeutic and rehabilitative services that have become nearly halted”

Al-Jazeera Net

The outlet reports that thousands of patients are threatened with deprivation of therapeutic and rehabilitative services that have become nearly halted, as laboratories turn into workshops operating with rudimentary alternatives that do not guarantee minimum quality.

Dental technician Rami Al-Rifi said dental laboratories in Gaza suffer a severe shortage of basic materials used daily, and that some essential supplies have completely run out in recent years, directly reflecting on laboratories’ ability to continue working.

Al-Rifi told Al Jazeera Mubasher that the material used to take dental impressions, known as Zita Plus, has become completely unavailable from the markets, while its prices reach exorbitant levels when available.

He warned that continuing the crisis will lead to the closure of more laboratories and the layoff of workers, adding that the laboratory where he works had 10 technicians before the war while remaining staff continue at the minimum possible level.