President of the Australian Dentists Association says unless a new agreement can be struck soon, patients will begin to suffer
Public dental waiting lists could balloon, dentists are warning, as the commonwealth defers a National Partnership Agreement (NPA) on adult dental health which has helped states reduce waiting lists by tens of thousands.
The agreement was deferred for a year from July in the federal budget, with the government taking $390m from the states. Funding for the current agreement to reduce the waiting lists is due to run out over the next year.