Public dental urgent denture care wait list policy

Introduction

Eligible people contact public dental agencies seeking either routine or urgent care. People seeking urgent care are assessed, triaged and managed using the Emergency Demand Management Strategy (EDMS).

Following triage, people assessed as requiring urgent care will be offered an appointment. People who are assessed through EDMS as requiring routine care will be managed according to the Public Dental Non-Urgent Care Waiting List Policy.

All people seeking care are to be placed on the General Waiting List unless:

• they have no natural teeth OR
• they meet the criteria for Priority Dentures.

Priority denture care

People are assessed by a clinician as having priority denture needs if they meet any of the following criteria:

• there is no denture or natural teeth in one or both arches
• there are front teeth missing that cause aesthetic, functional or social problems that could be reduced by providing a denture
• an existing denture cannot be repaired or fits so poorly that it causes tissue damage if worn
• the person’s medical history
• a treatment plan requires urgent extractions.

Treatment for people assessed as requiring priority denture care includes any treatment required on their natural teeth before work on construction of their dentures begins.

All people assessed as having priority denture needs are to be offered care prior to people assessed as having routine denture needs. People can be reassessed as having priority denture needs if their care needs change to meet the criteria for Priority Dentures. Following reassessment, these people are to be placed on the Priority Denture list on the date of reassessment, not the date they were originally assessed as having routine denture needs.

Download policy

Public dental urgent denture care wait list policy (64kb, pdf)

top of page