Dr Nicole Stormon from UQ’s School of Dentistry featured in an online Bite Magazine article about research on The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS).
The research has found more children from low-income families are accessing dental services and having regular visits thanks to the (CDBS).
““This study differed from those previous, as it aimed to look at whether or not the policy objectives were being met,” Dr Stormon said.
“We asked the question, ‘Is the policy doing what was set as the primary goal?’—and whether the introduction of the scheme has improved children’s access to dental services.
“Our research found approximately a third of four to five-year-old Australian children reported accessing dental services, and this increased with age with two-thirds aged 10 to 11 attending a dental service.
“In addition the introduction of the CDBS increased the rate of dental attendance for the low income household group by eight per cent.
“This shows that the scheme’s primary aims to improve access to care in the child population are being met.”
