Pulling out the stops
for better dental care

People living in regional and remote places across Australia are to be provided with better access to public dental treatment under the new Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program.
   Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek said the program would place 46 dental graduates in public dental facilities across the nation so they could provide services to patients and gain valuable experience in public dental work.
   “The Government is improving dental health services and this program will see new graduates working in the public system to support the Government’s $4.6 billion dental package,” Ms Plibersek said.
Better access for regional areas
   “More graduates, both dentists and oral health therapists, will mean better access to treatment for patients and vitally important oral health promotion and prevention for the many Australians who live in areas that need services most.
   “Graduates will receive increased practical experience and professional development opportunities and incentives to work away from the big cities.”
   Ms Plibersek said under the program, 31 dental services nationally would host 46 graduates in 2013, increasing to 36 dental services in 2014.
   “Graduates will be placed nationally: initially 25 in metropolitan areas, 16 in regional Australia and five in remote areas,” she said.
   “In all, the Government is investing $88.3 million under the Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program which, by 2016, will be putting an extra 100 dental graduates a year into the field.”
   Ms Plibersek said another new program under development – the Oral Health Therapist Graduate Year Program – was also set to further boost access to dental services by supporting 50 voluntary oral health therapist placements per year from the 2014 calendar year.
Edition 346, 29 January 2013
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