The Dental Council of New South Wales today announced an increase in the complaints component of the registration fee for NSW dental practitioners for 2019/20. This will ensure the Council can continue its work to regulate the profession in NSW and protect public health and safety.
The fee covers the registration period for dental practitioners from 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2020.
Dental practitioners practising in NSW will see an increase in the complaints component of the national registration fee. The total fee dentists and specialists will pay is $838, dental prosthetists will pay $756 and dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists will pay $412. Of these totals the following amounts have been set by the Council; $592 for dentists and specialists, $568 for dental prosthetists, and $286 for dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists.
Dental Council President Conjoint Associate Professor F. Shane Fryer said the changes were necessary to allow the Council to effectively regulate dental practitioners in NSW.
“The Council is funded solely from practitioner registration fees. The Council continues to experience an increase in complaints and associated regulatory activity, such as random inspections of dental practices to ensure compliance with infection control guidelines,” he said.
“The Council recognises this is a larger increase than previous years. It must balance practitioner fees against the need to ensure it has sufficient resources to act as an effective regulator to protect the public and maintain trust and confidence in the profession.”
The Council saw a 28 per cent increase in complaints in the three years from 2014/15 to 2017/18, while the number of dental practitioners monitored for compliance following a regulatory outcome increased 87 per cent. This upward trend has continued into 2018/19.
The Council’s primary role is to protect public health and safety in NSW, by regulating dental practitioners. This includes managing complaints, taking immediate action when necessary to protect the public, and proactively monitoring, auditing and inspecting practitioners’ practices.
“The Council has made considered projections concerning future costs,” Conjoint Associate Professor Fryer said. “This fee increase will enable the Council to manage the increasing volume and complexity of regulatory activities’”.
Annual registration for dental practitioners is managed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). More information on 2019/20 registration fees for dental practitioners is available on the Dental Board of Australia website.
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