The ISOH Collaboration was formed in 2003 as an alliance between Oral Health Services in Queensland and New South Wales so that both states could work together strategically, supported through the use of a common Information System for Oral Health (ISOH). This alliance can significantly influence the national oral health agenda and is enabling synergies in the areas of policy development and evaluation and benchmarking of services.

To facilitate the product and related central services of the Collaboration, the ISOH Business Unit (IBU) was established to provide the ongoing software development and support of the ISOH application. The IBU also has responsibility for providing transparent accounting, services, reporting and management of the ISOH business on behalf of the participating public health parties that fund its existence.

In use since 1997 and following the successful adoption and rollout across Queensland and New South Wales, ISOH is now operational in 1000+ oral health clinics across the two states to service the needs of a population that represents approx. 70% of Australia’s eligible public dental patients. In recognition of this outstanding effort in the use of technology to benefit society, the IBU, on behalf of the ISOH Collaboration, achieved Worldwide Finalist status in the 2005 international Computerworld Honors Program in the Medicine Category.