Fears about future of child dental program

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association is concerned about ongoing funding for public dental clinics via the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

The program, introduced last January, provides financial support for basic dental services for some 3.4 million eligible children aged between two and 17 years through both public and private dental clinics.

AHHA points out that allocation of a portion of the program’s funds to public sector services was agreed on a trial basis, and that this element will cease at the end of next month.

"We are now a month away from the scheme being withdrawn from the public sector and there is no indication of how the trial will be evaluated and what the situation will be in 2015,” AHHA Chief Executive Ms Alison Verhoeven (right) said.

Private practices are not affected by this development, although continued funding of the program may be reviewed by the Federal Government in its future budget processes.
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