Government set to spend $5 billion on dental scheme

The government plans to spend $5 billion over four years subsidising a public dental scheme it hopes will provide treatment to more than 10 million people.

About 600,000 additional patients are expected to seek treatment when the national Child and Adult Public Dental Scheme is rolled out.

More than five million children as well as a further five million people on low incomes who hold a concession card will be covered under the plan.

Under the proposal, the government will spend $5 billion, with $2.1 billion going to the states and territories to pay for private dentists where service gaps arise.

“I worry about children not getting dental care in houses that may not have seen a toothbrush let alone a dentist, and I worry about adults who may not have a job whose teeth are stopping them from socialising,” Ms Ley told Weekend TODAY this morning.

“This will pick up the group of people that don’t have private health insurance, that don’t regularly see a dentist, who may never have seen a dentist.”