The Tasmanian Liberal Government has delivered a statewide Digital Denture Service as part of our $5 million plan to improve the oral health of Tasmanians.
Oral Health Services Tasmania is the first public dental service provider in Australia to invest in digital denture technology for the entire State, with equipment now available in major dental centres located in Hobart, Launceston, Burnie, and Devonport.
The new digital denture technology can produce dentures that are more accurate and precise, making them more durable and comfortable to wear than dentures made traditionally.
Importantly, it also reduces the number of appointments needed to provide a denture to a patient. For example, the number of appointments needed to construct full dentures will reduce from 6 to 4, and partial dentures will decrease from 5 appointments to 3 appointments. Follow-up appointments for adjustments are also lessened due to the increased accuracy of the denture.
The reduction in appointments required to receive denture results in saved travel time for patients, which will be particularly beneficial for those clients who reside in rural or remote areas of Tasmania.
Each year, this long-term investment is expected to save approximately 2,000 patient appointments.
With an additional 500 appointments to be made available by the end of this year as a direct result of the new service, the technology will play a key role as we continue to make significant progress on the delivery of 20,000 additional appointments.
Our Government is investing $5 million to provide an additional 20,000 appointments, with 14,810 additional appointments already having been delivered. This $5 million commitment also supports Oral Health Services Tasmania with recovering capacity, following the impacts of COVID-19.
Through this investment in a digital denture service, we are ensuring Tasmanians can get access to the right oral healthcare, in the right place, at the right time – no matter where they live.
