Dubai: The national health insurance scheme, currently being planned for expatriates, will not include dental coverage, but may be added to the insurance plan later.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, said future revisions of the national insurance plan may include a dental plan.

"Maybe in the future," he said. He also said the standards of oral care in Dubai were excellent.

The Ministry of Finance and Industry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is in charge of drafting the terms and conditions of the national health insurance plan. No deadline has been set on when the insurance plan will be introduced.

Shaikh Hamdan spoke to reporters after opening the UAE International Dental Conference and Arab Dental Exhibition (AEEDC®), which began on Tuesday.

Shaikh Hamdan who is also the president of the Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms) then toured the exhibition and met exhibitors, accompanied by officials from Dohms, the Ministry of Health and other agencies.

Shaikh Hamdan said he was happy to see that AEEDC® had grown three-fold since its opening ten years ago.

About 40 exhibitors from the Middle East and 250 participants attended the first AEEDC® a decade ago. Now, the dental conference and exhibition has 450 companies from 63 countries exhibiting and 14,000 participants, according to organisers.