More than 1.5 million children eligible for Australia's Child Dental Benefits Schedule are missing out, according to Australian Dental Industry Association National President Ryan Green. The access gap is expected to feature at the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Dental and Oral Health group at Parliament House on 14 October.
The group will be jointly chaired by Senator Helen Polley and Dr Monique Ryan MP. It is intended to give parliamentarians a regular forum to engage with the dental sector. The stated focus includes better oral health outcomes for children. Searches of available Parliament House materials did not find an official notice confirming the event or its co-chairs, so the launch is described as scheduled.
The Australian Dental Association said almost a third of children in Queensland lacked access to fluoridated water, mostly in regional areas.
Children's care and the CDBS in focus
Green is due to speak about the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, or CDBS. He says about 2.3 million children are eligible. The Department of Health and Aged Care's available materials offered no new figures to independently verify that estimate or the claim that more than 1.5 million children miss out.
Green said: "About 2.3 million children in Australian are eligible for the CDBS but more than 1.5 million of them are missing out and we know that low awareness of the scheme is one of the major barriers."
Dr Stephen Liew, Speaker of the General Assembly of the FDI World Dental Federation, is also due to speak. A parent will describe her family's experience navigating children's dental care. Dr Chris Sanzaro will speak on behalf of the dental profession.
The policy debate has a community-level counterpart in The Dental Bank, a Connecticut pilot that offers oral health supplies and screenings. It also connects families with affordable dental care. Separately, on 12 October the Australian Dental Association said a new report on water fluoridation had prompted its call for a policy shift. That issue is distinct from the CDBS and the parliamentary group, as set out in its water-fluoridation report.
The Department of Health and Aged Care published a review of Medicare Benefits Schedule health assessment services on 8 October 2026. The review does not provide confirmed information about the CDBS, and the available material does not establish a separate new CDBS reform or a subsequent decision following the scheduled group launch.
A forum with a funding test
The Australian Dental Association and Australian Dental Industry Association have welcomed the group. The Oral Health Association of Australia has also backed it. The Australian Dental Prosthetists Association and The Australian Dental Technicians Association have welcomed the forum. Dental Assistants Professional Association has done so as well.
ADA President Dr Chris Sanzaro said: "Good oral health is fundamental to overall health, and it needs to be recognised as an essential part of our health system for all Australians. A fully funded National Oral Health Plan is how we turn that recognition into real change." Dr Monique Ryan MP is scheduled to formally open the group after the presentations.
The group's work will include sustained advocacy for a fully funded National Oral Health Plan and clearer awareness of the CDBS. Available material does not establish the event's eventual outcome or any subsequent government decision or funding commitment.
