Dental Board of Australia sets fee for 2023/24

20 Sep 2023

The Dental Board of Australia (the Board) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) have announced changes in the annual registration fee for dental practitioners for 2023/24.

From 20 September, the registration fee for dentists and dental specialists will increase by 5 per cent to $755. For dental prosthetists, the registration fee will decrease to $257, and to $237 for dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists.

This will cover the registration period from 1 December 2023 to 30 November 2024.

The Board and Ahpra have recently done work to determine the cost of regulating each division of the dental profession. Given the greater complexity of registering and regulating dentists and dental specialists, their registration fees are higher to reflect the costs of administering the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme).

‘The Board recognises the need to keep fees as low as possible while ensuring we can perform our vital role to keep the public safe. The adjustments to registration fees have been made to accurately reflect the cost of regulating the profession including the costs of regulating each division,’ Dental Board Chair Murray Thomas said.

Registration fees fund our work

Registration fees fund the work of the National Boards and Ahpra to keep the public safe by:

• managing applications for registration, including complex applications from internationally qualified practitioners
• developing professional standards that guide the profession and set expectations
• investigating and managing concerns about registered health practitioners, including taking immediate action and referring matters to tribunals
• criminal prosecutions for breaches in advertising and use of title
• approving programs of study that lead to registration and endorsement
• funding the work of the Health Ombudsman in Queensland and the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman.

The National Scheme is self-funded with each Board responsible for meeting the full costs of regulating their profession.

The fees for each National Board must also reflect the risk and complexity of the individual professions, as well as the resources needed to address them. The National Boards work closely with Ahpra to keep fees as low as possible while continuing to meet regulatory obligations and the expectations of the public and practitioners. The National Boards and Ahpra receive no government funding.

For more information

• Read the media release from Ahpra and the National Boards on the Ahpra website
• Visit the fees page of the Board website
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9125 3010 (overseas callers)
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200 or media@ahpra.gov.au