Australians spent $5 billion on dental services

Australians each spent an average of $221 on dental services in 2012/13 - a total of $5.06 billion, according to the latest figures released. These individual payments comprised 58% of all dental treatment funding that year. A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that this was up only 0.5% on the previous year compared with 2.4% CPI in that year.

Of the estimated $147.4 billion spent on health goods and services, $8.7 billion was for dental services. For the previous financial year, dental services accounted for $8.4 billion.

With the figures being more than one year old, there is speculation on what the next Health Expenditure Australia report will show for dental services.

While the Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA) spent $113m less on funding dental treatment in 2012/13 than in the previous year, and State Governments also reduced dental funding, Federal rebates on Private Health Insurance (PHI) increased, as did treatment funded by health funds.

The 2012-13 figures do not reflect the full impact of the cessation of the Federal Government’s Chronic Disease Dental Scheme at the end of 2012. This resulted in $1 billion being removed from dental expenditure, leading to many practices having fewer appointments booked. While a Child Dental Benefits Schedule has since been introduced, recent Federal Budget cuts have delayed the National Partnership Agreement which funds dental services for low income adults, and so dental expenditure is expected to be further affected in future reports.

The report also shows that overall spending on health in 2012-13 slowed to record low levels.