Dental services for children and teenagers

Child and Adolescent Oral Health Services (School Dental Service)

Queensland Health provides oral health care for children and teenagers through Child and Adolescent Oral Health Services, which in some areas are known as the School Dental Service.

General dental care and emergency dental care are available free of charge to all eligible children and young people in Queensland. This includes appointments for check-ups, preventive care, fillings and toothaches or accidents or emergencies.

Eligibility

To be eligible for public oral health services, all children and young people must be:

a Queensland resident, or attending a school in Queensland; and
be eligible for Medicare; and
aged four years or older and have not completed year 10.

Children younger than four or who have completed year 10 may still be eligible for free public oral health care if they are:

eligible for the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule; or
listed as a dependent on a valid Centrelink concession card, or are the holder of a valid Centrelink concession card.

Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is a Commonwealth-funded scheme that covers part or the full cost of certain dental services for children.

To check whether you or your child is eligible to be able to claim benefits, visit the Child Dental Benefits Schedule website.
You can use your CDBS benefit at a private dental practice or a Queensland Health dental clinic.
To use your CDBS benefit at a Queensland Health dental clinic, CDBS benefits must be assigned to Queensland Health. The treating clinician will explain the recommended treatment plan and ask you to complete a Bulk Billing Consent Form before starting care.

More information about eligibility for public oral health services can be found in the Oral Health Services Eligibility Guideline (PDF 71 kB).

How to make an appointment

Contact your nearest Queensland Health dental clinic to make an appointment. Search the list of dental clinics here. In some areas, you will need to call a contact centre to arrange an appointment.