Dental Health
Medicare Teen Dental Plan
The Medicare Teen Dental Plan delivers on the Government’s election commitment to provide financial assistance to families to encourage teenagers to care for their teeth by having annual check-ups and to maintain good oral health habits once they leave home. The program commenced on 1 July 2008.
The Government is providing dental benefits of up to $153.45 (indexed on 1 January each year) per calendar year for each eligible teenager to receive a preventative dental check from a dentist who is registered with Medicare Australia. Dental therapists and dental hygienists can also provide services under the supervision or oversight of a dentist.
Around 1.3 million teenagers are eligible for the Medicare Teen Dental Plan each year. To be eligible, a teenager must be aged between 12-17 and meet a means test (as described in the Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for families and teenagers below).
Medicare Australia will automatically send eligible families and teenagers a voucher for a preventative dental check each calendar year, using client information provided by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Most people will receive their voucher from mid-January each year.
Eligible teenagers can receive their preventative check from a private dentist and claim the benefit from Medicare Australia. Alternatively, the dentist can choose to bulk bill the preventative check (i.e. the dentist claims the benefit directly from Medicare Australia).
Eligible teenagers may also be able to use the voucher at a public dental clinic (including a school-based clinic). Contact your local public dental clinic or State or Territory health department for further information and to find out when it may be possible to schedule an appointment.
Teenagers will need to present their voucher when they have a preventative check.