Child Dental Benefit Schedule

There are a few ways to find out:

• Call Medicare yourself on 13 20 11
• Visit their website – https://my.gov.au
• Call us on 07 3188 9477, and we can check it for you. Please have your Medicare Card ready.

Your child’s eligibility for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is assessed by the Department of Human Services. A child is eligible if they are aged between 2-17 years at any point in the calendar year and receive a relevant Australian government payment, such as Family Tax Benefit Part A, at any point in the calendar year.

Once a child has been assessed as eligible, they are eligible for that entire calendar year – even if they are turning two that year, turn 18, or stop receiving the relevant government payment.

To ensure all eligible families receive confirmation, The Australian Government has advised that families should ensure their details are current with the following agencies as soon as possible.

To ensure all eligible families receive confirmation, The Australian Government has advised that families should ensure their details are current with the following agencies as soon as possible:

• Medicare – Phone 132 011
• Centrelink (for FTB-A) – Phone 136 150
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs – Phone 133 254
• Website – https://my.gov.au

This scheme includes:

• Examinations
• X-rays
• Cleaning
• Fissure sealing
• Fillings
• Root canal treatment
• Extractions, and even
  Partial dentures

The amount of dental benefits available to eligible patients is capped at $1,026 per eligible patient over two consecutive calendar years.

This maximum amount of dental benefits is known as the benefit cap and the two consecutive calendar years is known as the relevant two-year period.

The relevant two-year period commences from the calendar year in which the patient first receives an eligible dental service. For example, if the patient’s first dental service is on 1 January 2017, the relevant two-year period will be the entire 2017 calendar year and, if the patient is eligible the following year, the entire 2018 calendar year. If the patient is eligible in 2019 or a later year they will then have access to a new benefit cap.

A patient’s entire benefit cap can be used in the first year if needed. If the entire benefit cap is not used in the first year, the balance can be used in the next year if the child is still eligible.

Any balance remaining at the end of the relevant two-year period cannot be used to fund services that are provided outside that period. A new benefit cap will become available only if the relevant two-year period has elapsed and the child is eligible in a following year.

A patient’s benefit cap can be used for eligible services provided to that patient ONLY – family members cannot share their entitlements.

Once a patient reaches their benefit cap of $1,013 in benefits over the relevant two-year period, no further benefits are payable in that benefit cap period, and there may be out-of-pocket costs.

Once your child’s eligibility has been confirmed, there are a few steps that we will take in order to ensure the entire process goes smoothly:

1. Your child’s available CDBS funding balance will be determined prior to the appointment.
2. A treatment plan including the total value of the treatment will be proposed to you. 
3. In most cases, the total value of the treatment will fall within your child’s available balance. 
4. If it exceeds your child’s available balance, the dentist will let you know the details and obtain your consent before proceeding with any treatment. 
5. We will BULK BILL the treatment as long as it is within your child’s available balance.  Anything exceeding the available balance may incur an extra fee. Again, you will be informed of any extra costs of BEFORE treatment proceeds.