Good oral health is integral to general health and well-being. Access to dental health care from the moment children have teeth promotes child health, learning and development. A healthy mouth enables people to eat, speak and socialise without pain or discomfort.
Dental problems in early childhood can impact on general growth and cognitive development by interfering with sleep, appetite, eating patterns, contributing to poor school behaviour and negative self-esteem, as well as being predictive of future dental problems.
Regular dental examinations (check-ups) are part of routine recommended care for all children and should be conducted at least every two years. Children and young people assessed as high risk of having dental problems will be seen every 12 months or more frequently if clinically indicated by the dental health service.
General dental care involves screening and essential procedures by dental therapists and dentists, and may include:
- Routine dental examination
- Check-ups
- Oral health advice
- Scale and cleaning
- Fillings and extractions (where clinically required for child’s health and wellbeing)
- X-rays
- Application of fluoride varnish
- Fissure Sealants Root canal treatments.
Public dental care services are provided through the Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne (RDHM) and have over 50 integrated and registered community health services across Victoria.
Where the public dental care system is unable to provide required services, they may facilitate access to services via private dental clinics.
Contacting a public dental care provider -
For further information on public dental services in Victoria call (03) 9341-1000, or 1800 833 039 for outside Metropolitan Melbourne. Information on community health services offering public dental health services is at: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/primary-and-community-health/dental-health or visit the Dental Health Services Victoria website https://www.dhsv.org.au/our-services/find-dental-clinics/clinic-search
Children and young people requiring urgent, or emergency dental treatment will be triaged for emergency care through the public dental care system.
Emergency dental care is available at your local public dental care clinic, hospital or the RDHM.
The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) also has a department of dentistry that provides a 24 hour on call service for children presenting with severe acute problems and dento-facial injuries or with acute infections requiring hospitalisation.
Please contact the dental departments below for advice and explain that the child is a Child Protection client or in care:
- Royal Children’s Hospital Department of Dentistry - 03 9345 5344
- Emergencies after office hours - (03) 9345 5522 or 1300 360 054– ask to page the dentist on call. Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne (RDHM) – (03) 9341 1000
All Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people living in Victoria, regardless of age or income, have access to free public dental care services. All Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people receive priority access to dental care, meaning that they are offered the next available appointment for general dental care and are not placed on a waiting list.
In addition to public dental care clinics, public dental services are delivered at a number of Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (VACCHOs). For up-to-date information on dental services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children contact the local VACCHO of the area where the child resides:
- Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS), Fitzroy
- Rumbalara, Mooroopna
- Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative, Bell Park
- Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperative (GEGAC), Bairnsdale
- Gunditjmara Aboriginal Co-operative, Warrnambool
- Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative (MVAC), Robinvale
The Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne has an Aboriginal Liaison Officer who is available to provide support for dental treatment delivered in a hospital setting. They can be contacted via Patient Services at Dental Health Services Victoria by telephone (03) 9341-1000 or 1800 833 039.
Smile Squad is the Victorian Government’s school dental program. Smile Squad provides free dental care to all students enrolled at all government primary, secondary and special schools in Victoria.
A consent form must be completed prior to a student being seen by the Smile Squad. For children in primary or specialist schools, parents, or carers (those with authorisation to provide consent for children in out of home care - delegate of the Secretary or principal officer of an Aboriginal Agency providing Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care (ACAC)) must sign the consent form.
Students deemed by the dental clinician to be a “mature minor” (a mature minor, also known as ‘Gillick competent’, is where a child is deemed to have the capacity to consent to medical procedures and treatment and therefore parental consent is not required) can provide their own consent and do not need consent from a parent, carer or delegate of the Secretary or principal officer of an Aboriginal Agency providing ACAC. There is no minimum age for a child or young person to be considered a mature minor, however the majority will be in secondary school. If a young person in secondary school is not considered a mature minor, a consent form will be required, as outlined above.
Access to free dental care via Smile Squad is also available for all children in government schools at community dental agencies. For more information please visit https://www.health.vic.gov.au/smile-squad
All eligible children can access the Australian Government’s Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) through both public dental agencies and Smile Squad. Public sector access to the CDBS is confirmed until 31 December 2026.
The schedule provides dental benefits over two calendar years for children aged 0-17 years in families that are eligible for certain benefits, including Family Tax Benefit A.
The CDBS covers basic dental services, but does not cover orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry or services delivered in a hospital.
Services provided in the public sector are bulk billed.
Contact Medicare or speak to a public dental provider for further information on the CDBS who will advise whether a child is eligible for CDBS and how much of their benefit cap is still available.
Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) for private treatment
All children who are eligible for the CDBS can also access services using this scheme in private dental clinics. Some private dental clinics will charge a gap fee for CDBS services. Child Protection practitioners should ask a private dentist whether services will be covered by the CDBS, and what those services will cost if they are not covered or there is a gap. A written breakdown of treatment and costs should be requested.
Children and young people living in care may access private dental care following assessment and advice from the dental provider, however there is likely to be a cost involved and any financial commitment would need to be pre-approved by the Child Protection Team Manager.
Specialist dental care may be provided on referral from a public dental clinic or Smile Squad van to RDHM or a regional specialist hub where clinically required. Specialist clinics at RDHM and the regional specialist hubs have waitlists and will treat clients in order of clinical priority.
Specialist care can include care beyond the scope of a general dental practitioner such as specialist paediatric dental care, orthodontic treatment, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. A full list of available specialist services is available here https://www.rdhm.org.au/rdhm_patients/dental/specialist-services .
Children who have chronic medical and dental problems, or who require comprehensive multidisciplinary management may be referred by their clinician to the RDHM, RCH or other hospitals.
The RCH delivers dental services to children and young people with complex medical and dental problems that may prevent them from obtaining dental care safely elsewhere.
Any health care practitioner or allied health care practitioner can make a referral for service. Please seehttps://www.rch.org.au/dentistry/ for further information.
Children and young people in care including residential care, kinship care and foster care are eligible for free public dental care services. Children and young people do not need to be subject to a protection order to be eligible.
The registration standards for community service organisations require that children entering care for the first time (or for the first time during the current period of involvement) undergo a dental assessment as part of the Health and Education Assessment Initiative as soon as possible or within one month of admission to the placement.
There is no similar requirement for children placed in a kinship care placement, however, it is good practice for all children entering any care type to have their dental needs assessed as soon as possible, preferably within the same maximum timeline of a month.
All children in care have priority access to public dental services. This means they are offered the next available appointment for general care and are not placed on a waiting list. If there is any delay in accessing these services within this timeline due to lack of service availability, the Child Protection Director should be informed so that the matter can be referred to the Manager, Dental Health Program for resolution.