Public dental waiting lists leap more than 50%
The Age - April 26 2003 - By Tom Noble - Health Editor

Waiting lists for public dental care have jumped more than 50 per cent since the Bracks Government came to power.

More than 213,000 Victorians are now waiting an average of more than two years for a dental appointment.

At some clinics, patients are expected to wait more than four years to see a dentist, investigations by The Age have found.

Those wanting dentures must wait an average of 29 months, according to figures for February, with some clinics having a wait of up to four years. In June 2001 the average denture wait was 20.2 months.

The average waiting time to see a dentist at the end of February was 25 months. At the end of June 2002 it was 22.7 months, and a year earlier 19.8 months.

In October 1999, when the Bracks Government was elected, 139,439 were waiting to see a dentist. At the end of February 2003, 213,446 people were waiting.

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