The Australian Dental Council (ADC) held their 30th Anniversary Dinner on 15 March 2024, where ADOHTA Vice-President Jessica Pennay represented us as a VIP guest. 

Thank you to the ADC for the opportunity to attend this wonderful celebratory evening.

We're delighted to announce several ADOHTA members as winners of the Dental Care Awards on Friday evening 22 March 2024 at the ADIA Sidcon Gala Dinner.

Please join us in congratulating the following ADOHTA Leaders on their incredible efforts including:

• Outstanding Young Dental Professional Award – ADOHTA President William Carlson-Jones
• Enhancing the Mission of Dentistry Award - ADOHTA NSW ACT Branch Officer Tabitha Acret
• Exceptional Student Award – ADOHTA Student Member Ben Vu

On behalf of the ADOHTA Board, we extend our congratulations and our sincere thanks for all that you do for the OHP workforce and the community.

ADOHTA NSW-ACT Branch Officer Nathan Aulsebrook attended the recent Investiture at University of Newcastle on 22 March 2024. 

The Investiture was of the eighth Chancellor of the University of Newcastle, Honourable Patricia Forsythe AM conducted by Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales. 

Some photos from the occasion:

Thank you Nathan for representing ADOHTA at this Investiture.  

COTA Australia calls for action on dental cover 

"Almost four in ten Australians (37%) aged 55+ have delayed or completely put off going to the dentist in the past year due to cost, research released today by COTA Australia – the leading advocacy organisation for older Australians has found."

Read the full COTA media release here: 

https://cota.org.au/news-items/media-release-four-in-ten-older-australians-skipping-the-dentist-due-to-cost/

Or download it here. 

Marking a decade of helping career dreams come true, this year's especially exciting for the ADA Dental Health Foundation's (ADA DHF) First Nation Study Grants.

Applications are now open for the grants with up to four available, worth $5,000 each. 

The ADA DHF's a registered charity whose mission is to address the inequality between those Australians who can access the dental care they need, and those who can’t.

The First Nations Study Grants have helped to fulfil that mandate since 2013, by offering students funding that may be used to cover costs of dental equipment, textbooks and to support students while they are on placements or living away from home.

Once again, the study grants are on offer to students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background who are undertaking a course of study that will lead to registration as a Dental Hygienist or Oral Health Therapist. 

Applications close 31 May 2024 and successful applicants will be notified during NAIDOC Week (7 - 14 July 2024). 

To find out more:

1. Visit ADA DHF
2. Read the bulletin

What are your future plans within the dental profession?

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) is keen to identify retention and attrition factors within the dental profession and value your feedback.

If you're currently a registered dental therapist, dental hygienist and/or oral health therapist or have ceased, forgot to renew, or were unregistered at some stage in the last five years, you'll have received an email from Ahpra with a link to the survey.

The survey takes less than five minutes to complete and closes Tuesday 12 March 2024. Please contact Ahpra’s Research, Evaluation and Insights Team (REIT) at research@ahpra.gov.au with any questions.

Have your say today via the survey link sent to your inbox on 13 February 2024 from Ahpra.

An invitation from the ACT Government and University of Canberra for a professional development opportunity: 

RSVP AND BOOKINGS
Bookings close by Friday 1 March 2024

VIEW MAP

For more information, please contact healthea@canberra.edu.au 

In support of inter-association collaborations, ADA NSW have warmly offered ADOHTA Members* a discount on relevant oral health courses, including: 

Simplifying Aesthetic Anterior Composite Resins - April & October

The Perfect Posterior Composites for You and Your Patients - April & October

Practical Periodontics for Outstanding Hygienists - June

The discount code is available on our Members-Only Free & Discounted CPD page, which allows our members to receive the ADA NSW Member price for the selected course registration. 

We thank ADA NSW for this offer and invite our members to enjoy this professional development opportunity. 

*Please note the Free & Discounted CPD page is accessible by ADOHTA Members who are logged in. 

This recent Croakey Health Media article highlights vital reform efforts for the Australian health system to meet current and future needs, including pressures such as the ageing population, with a strong call for universal oral health care. 

Published on Medicare's 40 year anniversary (1 February 2024), Croakey's:

"planning a year-long project – #Medicare40years – to highlight the importance of ‘learning lessons from the past and planning for the future’, to discuss a wide range of health reform issues."

Twelve organisations or people shared their views on Medicare reform and health care in the article, including Tan Nguyen, ADOHTA Life Member & NOHA Spokesperson. Tan also presented at a recent #Medicare conference hosted by Deakin University with oral health mentions by CHF CEO, Dr Elizabeth Deveny and coHealth CEO, Nicole Bartholomeusz. 

Tan shares:

"Q: What are the key lessons to learn from the history of Medicare, to inform future reform efforts?

A: Medicare has largely been driven and dominated by ‘the experts’ and the health professions. It has shown that a fit-for-purpose sustainable public health insurance model need intellectual input beyond the field of medicine, and should include consumers, health economists, and other relevant stakeholders in the conversation. The longstanding absence of essential oral healthcare within Medicare has fundamentally and negatively reinforced the separation of oral health from mainstream medicine.

Q: In another 40 years’ time, how do you envisage the health issues facing Australians?

A: It is well recognised that health is largely shaped by other social determinants, while achieving health tend to be equalised with the delivery of health services. The evidence shows us that health outcomes tend to favour consumers accessing healthcare through integrated team-based models of care. Consumer expectations are also changing, and this is important when considering the delivery of healthcare. Modes for accessing healthcare is also changing, so this should be reflected in our evolving healthcare system.

Q: In another 40 years’ time, what is on your wish list for Medicare and our health system?

A: Eventually Medicare will include essential oral healthcare so that it is universal and available for everyone. But, some people have higher oral health needs, which should be supported by the dental programs funded by the states/territories. I would also like to see flexible funding models introduced to incentivise innovation to capitalise on rapid developments in information technology such as artificial intelligence, and value-based health care payments models that reward outcomes rather than service delivery."

We invite you to read the full article here. 

NSW Health currently has study subsidies available via application for a range of workforce groups, including Oral Health Therapy and Dentistry. 

Students enrolled in health care degrees can apply for up to $12,000 in subsidies, with successful applicants beginning their degrees receiving $4,000 per year for up to three years. Existing students will receive one-off payments of $8,000 after acceptance of employment for a position within NSW Health.

A limited number of subsidies are available and applications are open until all subsidies are awarded. The full list of eligible workforce groups and locations are available on the NSW Health study subsidy page.