28 September 2006

$1m boost to increase dental vouchers for dentures

The value of dental vouchers will be increased to attract participation from more dentists and dental prosthetists, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health Paul McLeay announced today.

Mr McLeay said the announcement will help improve access to dental care.

"We are increasing the value of dental vouchers for dentures to attract more dentists and dental prosthetists to provide these much needed services," Mr McLeay said.

"A funding boost of $1 million will increase the payment to private providers for dentures from $790 to a maximum fee of $1,047.

"By increasing the reimbursement for denture services we anticipate that private providers, especially dental prosthetists in rural areas, will rapidly increase their participation, helping bring waiting lists down," he said.

The changes bring the payments into line with the Australian Government Department of Veteran Affairs dental prosthetists schedule.

The Oral Health Fee for Service Scheme (OHFFSS) was introduced on 1 July 2001 to improve local access to patients eligible for publicly funded oral health care by engaging private dental practitioners to provide dental services on a fee for service basis.

The Scheme was developed in consultation with the Australian Dental Association (New South Wales Branch), and the Australian Dental Prosthetists Association (NSW).

It has recently been extended to make it more flexible and make access to more routine care available in some instances.

The NSW Government has increased dental funding by over 75 per cent since 2000/01.

A $40 million funding boost over four years for public dental health was announced in the 2006/07 Budget bringing funding in 2006/07 to $127 million.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au