Apr 13 (Japan Times) - The health ministry will raise the government-set dental treatment remunerations that involve “silver” fillings containing palladium in May, as prices of the rare metal of which Russia is a major producer have soared following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said Monday.
The so-called silver fillings containing palladium and other metals are covered by national health insurance, and remunerations dentists receive for treatment using them are reviewed four times a year — in January, April, July and October — due to fluctuating market prices for the materials used.
In an emergency measure, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare decided to raise the cost of silver filling treatment in May after the market price of palladium rose sharply due to supply concerns, causing dentists to lose money in their procurement of the materials, the sources said.
According to the Finance Ministry’s trade statistics, 34.5% of Japan’s palladium imports came from Russia in 2021, second to South Africa at 48.8%.
Other than dental fillings, palladium is also used in automobile catalytic converters to help remove pollutants from exhaust emissions.
Source: ANNnewsCH
