Dental News - Poll reveals dentists have lost faith in the Dental Board of Australia

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 27. March 2019

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SYDNEY, Australia: The role health professionals play in society is a key one, so too is the role of the regulator. Recently, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) issued a report card on the performance of the professional regulator for dental practitioners—the Dental Board of Australia—which shows it is failing in its role of protecting the public.

The CEO of the ADA, Damian Mitsch, noted that the issuing of the report card was not something that had been taken lightly. “The ADA has always been supportive of the move to a national regulation scheme and there have certainly been many benefits for practitioners and the public following the introduction of a national scheme. However, what we have lost with the move from state-based boards is the connection between regulation and the reality of dental practice.”

Some of the areas in which the dental board were perceived to be failing included clearly defining the scope of practice for each category of dental practitioner, preventing non-dental practitioners from selling dental appliances, educating the public about the dangers of DIY tooth whitening and maintaining structured professional relationships to ensure patient safety and good clinical governance.

According to the report, 93 per cent of the 6,000 ADA members who responded to the poll and work across all areas of the dental field revealed that they had lost faith in the ability of the dental board to protect the public. The ADA stated that they had released the report to show some of the areas in which the dental board is perceived to be failing.

Speaking about the concerns raised by ADA members, Mitsch noted, “The profession is committed to working with the board to address these concerns, but engagement must be genuine if the board is to restore the faith of the dental profession.”

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