Dental Health

Victoria's public dental system

Public dental services are provided to eligible Victorians through community dental clinics in community health services, rural hospitals and the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.

Location of Victoria's public dental services

The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne

For information on the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne see: http://www.dhsv.org.au/clinic-locations/the-royal-dental-hospital-of-melbourne/

Community Dental Clinics

There are more than 60 community dental clinics located throughout metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria.

For a list of community dental clinics see: http://www.dhsv.org.au/clinic-locations/community-dental-clinics/

Eligibility

The following groups are eligible for public dental services:

• All children aged 0-12 years.
• Young people aged 13-17 years who are health care or pensioner concession card holders or dependants of concession card holders.
• Children and young families up to 18 years of age in residential care provided by the Children Youth & Families division of the Department of Human Services.
• Youth justice clients in custodial care, up to 18 years of age.
• Adults, who are health care or pensioner concession card holders or dependants of concession card holders.
• Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

Time to treatment

You can find information about the time to receive treatment at public dental agencies at the Your Hospitals website.

Priority access

If you are eligible for public dental services, you may also have priority access to dental care. People who have priority access will be offered to the next available appointment for general care.

The following groups have priority access:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• Children and Young People
• Homeless people and people at risk of homelessness
• Pregnant women
• Refugees and Asylum Seekers
• Registered clients of mental health and disability services, supported by a letter of recommendation from their case manager or staff of special developmental schools.

Fees for public dental services

Fees for public dental services apply to:

• Eligible adults
• Fee of $25 per visit to a maximum of $100 for a general course of care, which includes an examination and all general dental treatment.
• Flat fee of $25 for an emergency course of care, which includes assessment and treatment of the tooth/gums/false teeth that is causing pain.
• Fees for dentures are dependant on the type of dentures required - up to $120 for a full upper and lower acrylic denture.
• Children aged 0-12 years who are not health care or pensioner card holders or not dependants of concession card holders.

Children aged 0-12 years who are not health care or pensioner concession card holders or not dependants of concession card holders:

• Flat fee of $30 per child for a general course of care, which includes an examination and all general dental treatment. Fees per family will not exceed $120.

Fees for specialist services (Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne only):

• Dependant on the treatment provided, up to a maximum of $300 for a course of care.

Fee exemptions

Exemption from fees for public dental services applies to:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• Homeless people and people at risk of homelessness
• Refugees and Asylum Seekers
• Children and young people aged 0-17 years who are health care or pensioner concesion card holders or dependants of concession card holders
• All children and young people up to 18 years of age, who are in Residential Care provided by the Children Youth & Families Division of DHS
• All youth justice clients up to 18 years of age in custodial care
• Registered clients of mental health and disability services, supported by a letter of reccomendation from their case manager or staff of special development schools
• Those receiving care from undergraduate students
• Those experiencing financial hardship.

Concerns with public dental care

If you have concerns about the dental care you receive, you should first discuss this with the complaints or program manager at the community dental clinic.

If the matter is still unresolved, the Health Services Commissioner helps people to make their concerns known to health service providers and assists in resolving complaints. The service is free and confidential and can be reached by:

Telephone: (61 3) 8601 5200 or toll free on 1800 136 066
Fax: (61 3) 8601 5219
Email: hsc@dhs.vic.gov.au
Mail: Health Services Commissioner, 30th Floor, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000