Dental Board of Australia sets fees for 2015/16

The Dental Board of Australia (the Board) has announced the national registration fee for dental practitioners for 2015/16. The fee will apply from 9 September 2015, and cover the registration period for most practitioners of 1 December 2015 to 30 November 2016.

The fee will be:

• dentists and specialists: $610
• dental prosthetists: $542
• dental hygienists and therapists: $301

The fees for practitioners whose principal place of practice is NSW are the same as detailed above (NSW is a co-regulatory jurisdiction).

The Board limited increasing the fee to the national consumer price index (CPI).

A fee schedule, including the fee arrangements for practitioners whose principal place of practice is NSW, will be published on the Board’s website.

The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) is funded by practitioners’ registration fees. The decision to limit the increase to CPI follows guidelines and still provides income to allow the Board to meet its obligations in protecting the public.

Setting the new schedule of fee allows the Board to continue its work developing national registration standards, codes, policies and guidelines for the profession, and protect the public by ensuring that dental practitioners in Australia are adequately qualified and experienced.

The Board will also shortly publish the Health Profession Agreement (HPA). The HPA provides information about the Board’s financial operations, outlines the partnership between the Board and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and the services AHPRA will provide to the Board to regulate the profession.