The government on Friday said it will roll out a series of projects to help people access dental services, with a focus on those most in need.

This came after the Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care suggested in a report that the administration should strengthen dental care for grassroots residents.

Under the Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme to be implemented in the first quarter of next year, the government will provide a subsidy of HK$200 for those aged 13 to 17 to access services such as teeth assessment and scaling in the private sector.

Clinics can set their own fees, but these must be transparent. Around 370,000 teenagers are predicted to benefit from the scheme each year.

Meanwhile, from the second quarter of next year, people with financial difficulties can enrol in the Community Dental Support Programme to get subsidised services such as check-ups, fillings, tooth extraction and painkillers from non-profit organisations.

Those who do not have to pay for medical expenses will be fully subsidised by the government.

Patients approved by the Hospital Authority to have their medical fees partly waived, living allowance recipients aged 65 to 74, and people with a referral from social workers will only have to pay around 10 percent of the fees involved.

At least 40,000 quotas will be available under the scheme.

Deputy Secretary for Health Eddie Lee said the government is working with NGOs to enable more underprivileged people to see a dentist.

"We have rounds of meetings with all relevant NGOs in Hong Kong, and most of them express very keen interest in collaborating with the government, but at the same time they do express some constraints such as manpower," he said.

"Upon knowing that we are going to have more supply of dental health professionals, they [NGOs] are more ready and feel more comfortable to work with us."

An online queuing system for general public sessions at Department of Health dental clinics will also be available from December 30.