May 9, 2014
Waiting lists for dental services in the South Burnett have almost halved since January, according to the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service.
DDHHS principal dentist (Kingaroy Public Oral Health Service) Sandra Dolan said this had occurred despite increased demand for dental services.
“Kingaroy Public Oral Health Service expects to continue to reduce waiting lists,” she said.
“If waiting lists continue to be reduced at expected levels, within the next four months there should be no patients waiting for more than the clinically recommended time for their initial examination.”
southburnett.com.au approached the DDHHS for comment after hearing rumours that dental services at Kingaroy Hospital had been wound back and patients were being re-directed to private services, as far away as Toowoomba.
However, Ms Dolan said the DDHHS had actually announced the appointment of a new principal dentist and two graduate dentists to Kingaroy Public Oral Health Service in January.
The service also employs one senior dentist, two oral health therapists and one dental therapist.
Ms Dolan said the use of a voucher system through public/private partnerships for patients who had been waiting for extended periods for general dental treatment had enabled Darling Downs Oral Health to make continual inroads into waiting lists.
The system allows public oral health patients to use vouchers that are redeemed for treatment with participating private sector dentists.
The participating South Burnett dentists are Dental Essentials, Kingaroy; and Watts Dental Surgery, Murgon.
There are also other dentists participating throughout the DDHHS.
“When clients present to the service and are offered a voucher they are given the option of seeing a dentist in Toowoomba, where the waiting list is likely to be shorter,” Ms Dolan said.
“This option is offered to provide more options to patients, given the low number of private sector dentists in the South Burnett.
“Overall, the number of long wait patients fell from 1471 in October 2013 to 621 in April 2014.
“Patients requiring emergency treatment are triaged in all clinics and offered appointments according to priority of need.
“The service is providing this additional care with extra funding provided by a national partnership agreement between the Queensland and Commonwealth governments.”
The Kingaroy Public Oral Health Service provides services to eligible clients with a current Queensland Health Care Card or Pension Card, and Veteran’s Affairs eligible and Commonwealth Senior Cards.
