[Medicines and oral healthcare 3. Insurance coverage and qualification to prescribe]

On the advice of the National Health Care Institute in the Netherlands and the institute's Board of Scientific Advisors, the minister of Health, Welfare and Sport decides whether a certain drug will or will not be included in the list of drugs covered by the basic health insurance plan mandated for all Dutch citizens. In making this decision emphasis is placed on the therapeutic value of that particular drug compared to that of the standard drug for that disorder, the impact that the inclusion of the drug would have on the budget and the drug's cost-effectiveness. In the case of disorders that do not respond or respond insufficiently to the standard treatment, however, one comes up against the limitations of this system and in some cases a necessary treatment is not reimbursed. With respect to prescribing medications, dentists are qualified to prescribe, provided they are enrolled in the so-called BIG register [that recognises the qualifications of healthcare professionals in the Netherlands]. Dental hygienists, by contrast, are not qualified to prescribe and have to limit themselves to at most recommending over-the-counter medicines. In prescribing medicines, dentists are of course limited to those about which they have comprehensive knowledge and sufficient experience. If a dentist wants to prescibe a drug that is outside his or her own experience, then he or she should consult with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, general practitioner or medical specialist to determine whether the medication can be prescribed and if so, by whom.