Public Dental Waiting Data – December 2022
Long waiting times for dental care mean existing dental problems worsen. As a result, just over one-third of all courses of care are for emergency treatment rather than routine care.
People with poor oral health may experience pain and embarrassment, have trouble speaking and eating, miss school, have trouble getting a job, and develop other serious health problems. That’s why it’s so important that all Victorians have access to regular dental care.
The Victorian Oral Health Alliance is calling on both the state and federal governments to increase their investment in public dentistry so that vulnerable Victorians are able to smile.
The below interactive map shows information on waiting times to access public dental care across Victoria as at December 2022. The map is colour coded to highlight the average waiting time for general dental care.
COVID-19 restrictions impacted on dental service provision through July-Dec 2020 and July-Oct 2021, resulting in a decrease in the number of patients treated and an increase in the ratio of emergency care to general care. Following a one-off injection of funds to tackle the long waiting lists, the average waiting times appear to have decreased.
This chart shows the waiting time for general dental care for each public dental clinic since 2012/13. Select individual clinics from the search box to compare to other clinics or the Victorian state average.
This chart shows the waiting time for general denture care for each public dental clinic since 2012/13. Select individual clinics from the search box to compare to other clinics or the Victorian state average.
This chart shows the longest waiting time for general dental care since 2012/13. Select individual clinics from the search box to compare to other clinics or to Victoria.
This chart shows the number of people waiting for general dental care since 2012/13. Select individual clinics from the search box to compare to other clinics or the total number for Victoria.
This chart shows the number of patients treated in the public dental system since 2012/13. Select individual clinics from the search box to compare to other clinics or the total number for Victoria. Note that the data for 2022/23 is to December 2022, and therefore represents only 6 months of data (compared to 12 months of data for the rest of the time series).
Victorian Oral Health Alliance 