The schematic chart presents a simplified view of the way in which treatments in the various fields of dentistry are delivered by the different types of dental care providers.

The chart indicates that simpler problems and treatments are near the centre of the wheel, while dental conditions and diseases, and their interactions with other health conditions, become more complex the further towards the outer rim one travels.

The new Branch Councilrecently took office and the 17 members of the newly elected Council appointed Dr Greg Morris as Branch President. His fellow Executive members include Dr Mark Bowman (Vice President), Dr Neil Hewson (Honorary Secretary), Dr Stephen Cottrell and Dr Anne Stewart (Executive Officers) and Dr Chris Callahan (Immediate Past President).

ADAVB response to Department of Human Services's discussion paper on Health Promotion Priorities for Victoria, arguing that oral health needs to be given a higher profile in any State-wide coordinated health promotion plan.

While the worst waiting times for dental treatment remain in regions outside the metropolitan area, a number of communities within Melbourne also have waiting times longer than three years.

Presidents of the Victorian Branches of the ADA, Australian Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Australian Physiotherapy Association and Australian Nursing Federation recently signed a joint letter to the Minister for Health, Bronwyn Pike, to express concerns about the proposed new legislation regulating the health professions.

Early results of a member survey on the impact of the Victorian Government’s proposed new land tax on trusts indicate that over 75% of respondents would consider raising their fees and charges to help them meet additional compliance costs of up to $6320 per property.

While the current Council of the ADAVB Inc continues in office until June 2006, the Executive Committee that will serve for the remainder of this term was appointed at

a special Council meeting on 20 June.

In Dental Update No. 4/2005 attention was drawn to the new Department of Human Services website (www.health.vic.gov.au/yourhospitals/) which provides patients with information on waiting times for different procedures and on hospital performance.

The Dental Practice Board of Victoria recently updated its Infection Control Code of Practice, effective March 2005.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) recently invited the Branch to comment on their proposed Addendum to the Australian and New Zealand Clinical

Waste Management Industry Group (ANZCWMIG) Code of Practice for the

Management of Clinical and Related Waste.

In a most welcome development, the Australian Health Ministers Council (AHMC) recently endorsed a National Oral Health Plan for 2004 – 2013.

The newly elected ADAVB Council commenced its two-year term in office on 21 June 2004.

Students enrolling to complete the Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) degree from 2005 will be charged HECS fees of $8004 p.a. over each of the 5 years of the course, or a total of $40,020.

Most people would not normally associate dental treatment needs with hospital admissions.

The Victorian Government’s pre-budget announcements about increased public dental funding of around $14m p.a. for waiting list reduction and around $1m p.a. extra for dentures, were welcome news to all supporters of public dentistry.

The Commonwealth Government has invited public comment on proposals to force cigarette companies to print graphic health warnings on packets by mid 2005, in

a measure intended to further reduce the number of Australian smokers.

The Department of Human Services published a Discussion Paper regarding Review of Health Practitioner Regulation in November 2003, which canvassed a wide range of possible adjustments to the legislative model used to design the 13 Health Practitioner Acts in Victoria.

The Branch recently made a submission to the State Government concerning the forthcoming budget for the triennium 2004-2007, highlighting the need for significant

extra funding for public dental services.

The Senate Medicare Inquiry Report released on 30 October confirmed the need for a publicly funded service to meet the dental treatment requirements of disadvantaged Australians.

Dental caries, with over 19 million decayed teeth, was the most prevalent condition affecting Australians’ health in 1996.

Caroline Craig (until recently ‘Tess’ of Blue Heelers) and Shane Wakelin, Collingwood Fullback, helped to launch Dental Awareness Month at the Collingwood College with an audience of invited guests and Grade 1 and 6 pupils.

The Australian Dental Association is warning parents and children that the correlation between diet and obesity also directly affects the status of our teeth and oral health.

The Dental Practice Board of Victoria (DPBV) recently published a Discussion Paper proposing mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as a condition of registration renewal for dental care providers in Victoria.

The ADAVB is disappointed that Victoria’s dental waiting lists are not likely to be significantly reduced by the allocation of about $5 million per annum extra in the recent State Budget.

The ADAVB has often expressed the view that there is really no such thing as cosmetic dentistry, because most treatments (except perhaps tooth whitening) are justified clinically, even though they also have an aesthetic outcome.

The dental profession sometimes wonders how policy-making and funding decisions about public dental care can ignore the links between oral and general health.

The ADAVB recently presented a submission to the Department of Justice regarding the Personal Injuries Procedures Bill, which had been on the Parliamentary Bill List, but was deferred once the election was called. The Bill is due to be presented to Parliament again this year.

Disadvantaged Victorian metropolitan and regional residents are waiting far too long for dental treatment, and the ADAVB is urging the major political parties to

make policy and funding commitments to ensure their more timely access to care.

The new ADAVB Council has recently been appointed to commence a two-year term ending in June 2004.

The ADAVB is delighted that its representations on the need for parental consent for children under age 16 to obtain tongue and lip piercing services have been acknowledged, with new legal restrictions to be considered during the Spring Parliamentary session.

The ADAVB’s Dentistry Achievement Award for 2002was recently presented to five dentists described as “Fluoride Heroes” at a ceremony ...

The ADAVB’s submission to the Victorian Government regarding dental spending priorities for the next State Budget, is summarised ...

On February 1, 1977, fluoridation of Victoria's waters began in earnest with the activation of the plant at the Sylvan Reservoir.

The Specialist Practitioners Advisory Committee within the Dental Practice Board of Victoria recently published an issues paper regarding the criteriafor specialist registration ...

In early October, the ADAVB made a submission to the Department of Human

Services in response to their Discussion Paper regarding regulation of Medical Practitioners and Nurses.

The ADA has joined around 70 community welfare and health organisations to send an open letter to the leaders of all major political parties calling on them to publicly commit their parties to the development and implementation of a National Strategy for Oral Health.

Held from August 5 to 11, Dental Health Week is one of the Australian Dental

Association’s (ADA) major oral health care initiatives. Susie O'Neill is this year’s

official Dental Health Week ambassador, and her message to the community is that

regular visits to the dentist and a sensible diet are key factors of good dental health.

The current ADAVB Council is in the middle of a two-year term, however a new

Executive has been elected to take office from July 2001 until June 2002.

2001 is the International Year of Volunteers, and it is therefore timely that we celebrate some of the quiet achievers in dentistry, who offer their services to help people with virtually no access to dental treatment.

A sub-committee of the Scrutiny of Act and Regulations Committee is currently conducting an Inquiry into the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994.