Dental Statistics Australia: Cost, Access and Oral Health
The short answer.
In 2024-25, 2.2 million Australians aged 15+ who needed to see a dental professional delayed or didn’t go because of cost, 16.1% of those who needed one (ABS). Dental spending that year was $14.14 billion, 60.8% paid out of pocket (AIHW; our calculation).
In 2024-25, 2,202,700 Australians aged 15 and over delayed or didn’t go to a dental professional they needed because of cost, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS): 16.1% of the 13.7 million who needed one, and about 10% of everyone aged 15 and over (our calculation). We rechecked every figure at its source on 4 November 2026, after the 2026 releases of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA, 27 August), the Dental Board of Australia (21 September), the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 14 October) and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO, 22 October).
Dental statistics at a glance
Dental statistics Australia at a glance
| Figure | What it measures | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2 million (16.1%) | People aged 15+ who needed to see a dental professional and delayed or didn’t go because of cost (16.1% of those who needed one) | 2024-25 | ABS |
| 25.2% | People who needed to see a dental professional and delayed or didn’t go for any reason | 2024-25 | ABS |
| 53.9% | People aged 15+ who saw a dental professional in the last 12 months | 2024-25 | ABS |
| $14.14 billion | Total spending on dental services | 2024-25 | AIHW |
| 60.8% ($8.59 billion) | Share of dental spending paid by individuals out of pocket (our calculation) | 2024-25 | AIHW |
| $3.95 billion | Dental benefits paid by health funds | Year to 30 June 2026 | APRA |
| $892.0 million | Super approved for early release for dental treatment, for 33,550 people | 2025-26 | ATO |
| 89,200 | Potentially preventable hospitalisations for dental conditions | 2024-25 | AIHW |
| 5.4 million | Child Dental Benefits Schedule services | 2025 | AIHW |
| 21,840 | Registered dentists | 30 June 2026 | Dental Board of Australia |
| 32% | Adults aged 15+ with their own teeth who had untreated decay, by dental exam | 2017-18 | AIHW |
| Unknown | Australians who travel overseas for dental work | March 2024 statement | Department of Health, via ABC News |
Source: ABS, AIHW, APRA, ATO and the Dental Board of Australia; each section below links its source table.
How many Australians skip the dentist because of cost?
In 2024-25, 2.2 million people, 16.1% of those aged 15 and over who needed to see a dental professional, delayed or didn’t go because of cost, according to the ABS’s Patient Experiences 2024-25 (released 18 November 2025).
Needing and delaying dental care, people aged 15+, 2024-25
| Measure | Share | People |
|---|---|---|
| Needed to see a dental professional | 62.5% of people aged 15+ | 13,707,900 |
| Delayed or didn’t go because of cost | 16.1% of those who needed one | 2,202,700 |
| Delayed or didn’t go because of cost, as a share of everyone aged 15+ | 10.0% (our calculation) | 2,202,700 of 21.9 million |
| Delayed or didn’t go for any reason | 25.2% of those who needed one | 3,449,900 |
| Didn’t see a dental professional at all | 13.8% of those who needed one | 1,893,200 |
Source: ABS, Patient Experiences 2024-25, data cube DC5, Tables 13, 14.1 and 14.3.
The ABS counts people who, at least once in the last 12 months, delayed or didn’t go with cost as one of the reasons. Against everyone aged 15 and over, that is 10.0% (our calculation), so “16.1% of Australians” overstates it by about six points. The figure was 17.6% in 2023-24, and two years are too few to call the fall a trend.
The “30% to 40%” and “four in ten” in circulation come from AIHW’s National Dental Telephone Interview Survey, which asked adults aged 18 and over whether they had avoided or delayed visiting a dentist because of cost in the last 12 months: 41% in 2017 and 32% in 2021, with no round published since. It asks a different question of a different age group, so cite it as the 2021 telephone survey.
How much do Australians spend on dental care, and who pays?
Australians spent $14.14 billion on dental services in 2024-25, and 60.8% of it ($8.59 billion) came out of pocket (our calculation), according to AIHW’s Health expenditure Australia 2024-25, released 14 October 2026.
Who paid for dental services, 2024-25
| Who paid | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals, out of pocket | $8,593 million | 60.8% |
| Health insurers, net of the premium rebate | $2,821 million | 20.0% |
| Australian Government | $1,566 million | 11.1% |
| (of which the private health insurance rebate) | ($921 million) | |
| State and local governments | $1,098 million | 7.8% |
| Total dental services | $14,140 million |
Source: AIHW, Health expenditure Australia 2024-25, Table A6; shares are our calculation.
These figures replace the $13.2 billion for 2023-24 that most pages still quote. The four payers above cover $14,078 million, or 99.6%; other non-government sources, such as injury compensation insurers, paid the remaining $63 million. The rebate is 59% of the Australian Government’s dental spending (our calculation).
Excluding insurance premiums, out-of-pocket dental spending averaged $314 per person in 2024-25 and made up 18.5% of the $46.4 billion Australians paid out of pocket for all health care (AIHW (another site)). Across all payers, dental came to about $516 per person (our calculation). Its real growth of $0.8 billion led the increases AIHW says drove growth in primary health care spending (another site), ahead of other health practitioner and community health services ($0.4 billion each).
APRA’s 2024-25 dental benefits ($3.74 billion) exceed AIHW’s insurer figure ($2.82 billion) because AIHW counts insurers net of the premium rebate: add back the $921 million and the two match (our calculation).
How much do health funds pay for dental?
Health funds paid $3.95 billion in dental benefits in the year to 30 June 2026, on $7.48 billion in fees charged, according to APRA’s quarterly private health insurance statistics, released 27 August 2026.
Health fund dental benefits, year to 30 June 2026
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Dental benefits paid by funds | $3,953.8 million |
| Fees charged on insured dental services | $7,476.7 million |
| Benefits as a share of fees | 52.9% |
| Gap paid by insured patients | about $3,522.9 million |
| Insured dental services | 57,546,179 |
| Average benefit per service | $68.71 (NSW $66.35) |
| Average fee per service | $129.92 (NSW $131.81) |
| Dental’s share of all extras benefits | 55.4% |
Benefits were $3.47 billion in 2023-24 and $3.74 billion in 2024-25, on 54.9 million insured services that year. Dental is more than half of extras: 55.4% of the $7.14 billion in extras benefits and 51.1% of extras services (our calculation).
Because the $129.92 average spreads APRA’s fee total across every kind of insured dental service, it isn’t the price of any one treatment. Our cost guides price fillings, root canal treatment, extractions, crowns, implants and full dentures.
At 30 June 2026, 15,525,399 people had general treatment (extras) cover, 55.5% of the population (NSW and ACT: 57.8%), including 578,175 with ambulance-only cover; without them, about 14.9 million, or 53.4%, had extras beyond ambulance (our calculation from APRA’s figures). How health fund cover works for dental explains limits, gaps and no-gap visits.
How much super do Australians withdraw for dental treatment?
The ATO approved $892.0 million in early release of super for dental treatment in 2025-26, for 33,550 people. It counts approvals, not withdrawals: “We don’t have data regarding amounts released”, the ATO says, because super funds make the payments.
Super approved for early release for dental treatment, by year
| Year | Amount approved |
|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $66.4 million |
| 2019-20 | $111.7 million |
| 2020-21 | $108.2 million |
| 2021-22 | $171.3 million |
| 2022-23 | $313.4 million |
| 2023-24 | $526.4 million |
| 2024-25 | $817.6 million |
| 2025-26 | $892.0 million |
The 2025-26 amount is about 13 times 2018-19’s, and 61.2% of all compassionate release approved in 2025-26 ($1,456.7 million), up from 57.7% in 2024-25 (our calculation). The ATO approved 34,520 of 50,540 dental applications; the $892.0 million averages about $26,600 for each of the 33,550 people approved (our calculation).
Who is most likely to miss out on dental care?
Among people who needed to see a dental professional in 2024-25, those aged 25 to 44 and those in the most disadvantaged fifth of areas were the most likely to delay or not go because of cost: 22.0% at 25 to 34, 22.2% at 35 to 44 and 23.1% in those areas (ABS).
Delayed or didn’t go because of cost, by group, 2024-25 (people aged 15+ who needed to see a dental professional)
| Group | Delayed or didn’t go because of cost |
|---|---|
| Everyone aged 15+ | 16.1% |
| Aged 15 to 24 | 13.4% |
| Aged 25 to 34 | 22.0% |
| Aged 35 to 44 | 22.2% |
| Aged 45 to 54 | 17.6% |
| Aged 55 to 64 | 13.7% |
| Aged 65 to 74 | 10.9% |
| Aged 75 to 84 | 5.6% |
| Aged 85 and over | 3.3% |
| Women | 18.0% |
| Men | 13.7% |
| Most disadvantaged fifth of areas | 23.1% |
| Second fifth | 21.1% |
| Middle fifth | 16.1% |
| Fourth fifth | 15.2% |
| Least disadvantaged fifth of areas | 9.6% |
| Major cities | 14.9% |
| Inner regional | 20.0% |
| Outer regional and remote | 19.6% |
| With a long-term health condition | 20.0% |
| Without a long-term health condition | 11.4% |
Source: ABS, Patient Experiences 2024-25, data cube DC5, Tables 14.3 and 15.2.
People in the most disadvantaged areas were more than twice as likely to delay because of cost as those in the least, and fewer of them saw a dental professional at all: 42.1%, against 64.9%.
Only AIHW’s 2021 telephone survey splits the figure nationally by health insurance: 19% of insured and 47% of uninsured adults avoided or delayed visiting a dentist because of cost.
The Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) “two in three (64%)” over-65s (April 2025) comes from its annual consumer survey of 25,000 people, which asked about delaying treatment and which it says “cannot be shared externally”. The ABS’s 10.9% at 65 to 74 and 5.6% at 75 to 84 cover visits, among people who needed one, so the two answer different questions.
How healthy are Australians’ teeth?
In the most recent national dental exams, in 2017-18, 32% of adults aged 15 and over with their own teeth had at least one tooth with untreated decay, according to AIHW. No newer national exam survey exists.
Oral health in Australia, with the year each figure covers
| Measure | Figure | Year | AIHW page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults aged 15+ with their own teeth, untreated decay (dental exam) | 32% | 2017-18 | Healthy teeth (another site) |
| Average decayed, missing or filled teeth, adults aged 15+ (dental exam) | 11.2 | 2017-18 | Healthy teeth (another site) |
| Adults aged 15+ with no natural teeth (dental exam) | 4.0% | 2017-18 | Healthy mouths (another site) |
| Adults aged 15+ with moderate or severe periodontitis (dental exam) | 30.1% | 2017-18 | Healthy mouths (another site) |
| Adults aged 18+ who reported having no natural teeth (telephone survey) | 3.5% | 2021 | Healthy mouths (another site) |
| Potentially preventable hospitalisations for dental conditions | 89,200 (3.3 per 1,000) | 2024-25 | Hospitalisations (another site) |
| Oral disorders’ share of all non-fatal disease burden (Australian Burden of Disease Study) | 4.2% | 2024 | Healthy lives (another site) |
Source: AIHW, Oral health and dental care in Australia (updated 6 August 2026); each row links its page.
In 2017-18, untreated decay affected 39% of uninsured and 24% of insured adults, and 40% in WA, the highest state. Decayed, missing or filled teeth averaged 4.1 at ages 15 to 34 and 24.4 at 75 and over in 2017-18, and 21% of people aged 75 and over had no natural teeth. Across all adults, having no natural teeth fell from 6.4% in 2004-06 to 1 in 25 in 2017-18.
A circulating 14% figure for Australians with no teeth is a World Health Organization modelled estimate (another site) for people aged 20 and over, built on 2019 Global Burden of Disease data. The measured figures in the table are lower.
Hospital figures are current: AIHW counted (another site) 88,600 potentially preventable dental hospitalisations in 2023-24, before 2024-25’s 89,200. Children aged 5 to 9 had the highest rate, 12.5 per 1,000. NSW had the lowest rate of any state, 2.9 per 1,000, against 4.5 in SA, 3.1 in major cities and 5.3 in very remote areas. In 2017, the newest national figure, 89% of Australians had access to fluoridated drinking water (AIHW (another site)); the National Health and Medical Research Council’s 2017 review found 26% to 44% fewer decayed teeth in children and adolescents with fluoridation, and 27% fewer in adults.
How many children use the Child Dental Benefits Schedule?
In 2021, the newest year with an official count, 36.8% of eligible children used the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), according to the Department of Health’s Fifth Review of the Dental Benefits Act 2008 (another site) (August 2023).
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule in figures
| Measure | Figure | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Children aged 0 to 17 eligible | 46% (NSW 45.4%) | 2021 |
| Eligible children who used the CDBS | 36.8% (959,517 of 2,607,949) | 2021 |
| CDBS services | 5.4 million | 2025 |
| CDBS benefits paid | $352.2 million | 2025 |
| Average benefit per service | $66 | 2025 |
Uptake rose from 29.5% in 2014 to a peak of 39.6% in 2019. In 2025 the average benefit ran from $45 for a diagnostic service to $160 for a restorative one (AIHW). For two-year periods starting in 2026, the CDBS pays up to $1,158 per eligible child, and the government indexes the cap each 1 January (Services Australia (another site)); children’s dentistry covers using it at a visit.
In the newest national exam of children’s teeth, in 2012-14, 27% of children aged 5 to 10 had untreated decay in their baby teeth (36% in low-income and 18% in high-income households), 42% had some decay experience, and 11% of those aged 6 to 14 had untreated decay in their adult teeth (AIHW (another site)). A second national child oral health survey was due to start recruiting in February 2024, according to its published protocol, and has published no results.
How many dentists are there in Australia?
The Dental Board of Australia counted 21,840 registered dentists at 30 June 2026, 6,400 of them in NSW, and 29,351 registered dental practitioners of all kinds (8,459 in NSW).
Registered dental practitioners, 30 June 2026
| Registered as | Australia |
|---|---|
| Dentist | 21,840 |
| Oral health therapist | 3,648 |
| Dental hygienist | 1,520 |
| Dental prosthetist | 1,286 |
| Dental therapist | 516 |
| All dental practitioners, every registration type | 29,351 |
Source: Dental Board of Australia, Registrant data, 1 April to 30 June 2026, Tables 1.1 and 2.1.
Because the division rows count single-division registrants only, they add to less than the total, and registrations include people who aren’t practising. By registrations there are about 78 dentists per 100,000 people (NSW 74; our calculation with the ABS population at 31 March 2026).
For dentists at work, use AIHW’s full-time-equivalent figure (another site): 62.1 employed dentists per 100,000 people in 2024, up from 56.5 in 2014, and 68.9 in major cities against 21.0 in remote and very remote areas. Of employed dentists in 2024, 49% worked part time, 48% were women, 28% first qualified outside Australia and New Zealand, and 4.5% (about 800) worked in public clinics.
How many Australians go overseas for dental work?
Nobody counts how many Australians go overseas for dental work: the Department of Health told ABC News (another site) in March 2024 that it “does not hold this data”, and neither do the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Home Affairs or the ABS.
“Up to 10,000” a year was the ADA’s 2015 estimate, reported by ABC News (another site) with no method given. Smartraveller removed its “15,000”, a medical tourism figure, after the ABC asked about it. The “up to $300 million each year” traces to a 2018 ABC article (another site) by two dental academics and covered all healthcare abroad; the same article said “we don’t have firm numbers” for dental. Our guide to dental implants overseas is for readers weighing the trip.
Dental statistics you’ll see quoted, and what the source says
Commonly quoted dental figures, checked against their primary sources on 4 November 2026
| Figure in circulation | Where it comes from | What the primary source says |
|---|---|---|
| “30% to 40% of Australian adults avoid or delay going to the dentist” | Google’s AI answer, 4 November 2026 | AIHW’s telephone surveys of adults aged 18+ found 41% in 2017 and 32% in 2021. The current annual measure is 16.1% of people who needed to see a dental professional (ABS, 2024-25). |
| “Cost is a barrier to dental care for 16.1% of Australians” | Google’s AI answer; widely quoted | 16.1% is a share of the people who needed to see a dental professional. Of everyone aged 15+, it is about 10% (2.2 million; our calculation from ABS 2024-25). |
| “Individuals pay around 59%” of dental spending | Widely quoted | That was the 2020-21 share. In 2024-25 individuals paid 60.8% (AIHW; our calculation). |
| “Australia spent $13.2 billion on dental services” in 2023-24, “with patients directly funding roughly 61%” | Google’s AI answer; widely quoted | Those are 2023-24 figures. Since 14 October 2026: $14.14 billion in 2024-25, 60.8% out of pocket (AIHW; our calculation). |
| “Australian adults can receive up to $4250 in subsidies for dental services” | Widely quoted | The Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme closed on 30 November 2012 (MBS note NN.0.1). |
| The CDBS “provides eligible children aged 2 to 17 with up to $1,095” | Google’s AI answer for “dental costs australia” | $1,095 was the cap for periods starting in 2024. For periods starting in 2026 it is $1,158, indexed each 1 January, and children are eligible from 0 to 17 (Services Australia). |
| “about 2.6 million children were eligible … yet fewer than one million services were provided” | ABC News, 1 August 2025 (another site) | AIHW counts about 5.3 million CDBS services in 2024-25 and 5.4 million in 2025. Under one million matches children treated (959,517 in 2021). |
| “$817.6 million released last year” | The ADA, 30 October 2025 (another site); widely repeated as withdrawals | $817.6 million was approved in 2024-25, and the ATO doesn’t know how much funds paid out. The 2025-26 figure is $892.0 million approved (ATO). |
| “a potential $4.5 billion worth of private health cover extras go unused”, about $550 per person | Widely quoted, credited to “a national survey” | Funds don’t publish unused limits and APRA doesn’t collect them, so no primary data support any dollar total. |
| “up to 10,000 Australians travel overseas each year”; “Over 15,000 Australians travel for medical tourism” | The ADA’s 2015 estimate, reported by ABC News; Smartraveller, since removed | No government body counts dental tourists (Department of Health, via ABC News, March 2024). |
| 14% of Australians with no teeth | World Health Organization modelled estimate, ages 20+, 2019 data | AIHW’s measured figures: 4.0% by dental exam in 2017-18 and 3.5% self-reported in 2021. |
Source: The primary sources named in each row, linked in the sections above.
How we checked these figures
We checked every figure against its source on 4 November 2026; each carries the year its data cover, often a year or more before release. “Our calculation” means we worked it out from the source’s own numbers, such as $892.0 million divided by 33,550 people. We update the page when a source publishes new data; the next large update is the ABS’s Patient Experiences 2025-26, which the ABS hasn’t scheduled.
Frequently asked questions
Is dental covered by Medicare?
Not for most adults. Medicare’s Child Dental Benefits Schedule covers eligible children, up to $1,158 each over two calendar years, and its adult Chronic Disease Dental Scheme closed on 30 November 2012. Some adults with a concession card can use public dental services.
How often do Australians go to the dentist?
In 2024-25, 53.9% of people aged 15 and over saw a dental professional in the last 12 months, up from 53.2% in 2023-24 (ABS). Of the 62.5% who needed to see one, 86.2% did.
How many Australians are on a public dental waiting list?
In 2024-25, 3.9% of people who needed to see a dental professional were placed on a public dental waiting list (ABS): 9.9% in the most disadvantaged areas and 1.3% in the least. We found no source for the “12 to 24 months” wait in Google’s AI answer.
Where do these figures come from, and when are they updated?
From the government body named beside each figure, checked on 4 November 2026. APRA publishes each quarter, AIHW’s spending report and the ATO’s super figures come each October, and the CDBS cap changes each 1 January. Next is the ABS’s Patient Experiences 2025-26, not yet scheduled.
Talk to us
If cost is why you’ve put off the dentist, our costs and health funds page explains what health funds pay, no-gap visits and the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Fees depend on the treatment you need, so we give you an accurate quote at your consultation, before anything starts. We’ll tell you what needs doing now and what can wait, and your quote lists the item numbers, so your fund can tell you its benefit before you decide.
Sources
- Patient Experiences, 2024-25 financial year (another site), Australian Bureau of Statistics, 18 November 2025
- Health expenditure Australia 2024-25 (another site) and the full report with Table A6 (another site), Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 14 October 2026
- Quarterly private health insurance statistics, June 2026 (another site), Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, 27 August 2026
- Compassionate release of super: applications received and approved (another site), Australian Taxation Office, updated 22 October 2026
- Registrant data, 1 April to 30 June 2026 (another site), Dental Board of Australia, 21 September 2026
- National, state and territory population, March 2026 (another site), Australian Bureau of Statistics, 17 September 2026
- Oral health and dental care in Australia (another site), Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, updated 6 August 2026: pages on costs (another site), healthy teeth (another site), healthy mouths (another site), healthy lives (another site), potentially preventable hospitalisations (another site), the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (another site), the dental workforce (another site), preventative strategies (another site) and global comparisons (another site)
- Report on the Fifth Review of the Dental Benefits Act 2008 (another site), Tables 3 and 4, Department of Health and Aged Care, 2 August 2023
- What’s covered by the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (another site), Services Australia
- MBS note NN.0.1: closure of the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (another site), Department of Health
- Report on dental tourism and the missing count (another site), ABC News, 4 March 2024
- Report on the ADA’s dental tourism estimate (another site), ABC News, 15 February 2015
- Article on dental tourism and spending abroad (another site), Madhan Balasubramanian and Alexander Holden, ABC News, 25 October 2018
- Report on Child Dental Benefits Schedule use (another site), ABC News, 1 August 2025
- Release on super released for dental treatment (another site), Australian Dental Association, 30 October 2025
This guide is general information, not advice about your own teeth. Your dentist can tell you what applies to you, including the risks of any treatment.
