Referral to Oral Health Services

Referring adults

Eligible adults can be referred for dental health services.

Referral to Oral Health Services Tasmania for dental services

Referring children

• Tell the child’s parent or guardian that their child would benefit from a dental appointment with us or with a private dentist.
• If the parent or guardian consents, you can refer the patient to us, and we will contact the parent to make an appointment. We provide free dental treatment for ALL children under 18 years of age if parents present their Medicare card for bulk billing.
• View our Lift the Lip Screening and Referral Pathway Tool for more information.

Refer a child (Lift the Lip)

What happens after you make you referral?

• We contact the parent or guardian to arrange a dental appointment.
• We provide you feedback when the child completes their dental care
• We will tell you if they fail to attend the scheduled appointment if we can’t contact their parent or guardian.

Referring pregnant women

• Pregnant women living in Tasmania are eligible for a priority appointment with us if they have a current Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card or are aged under 18.
• Advise all other pregnant adult women to visit a private dentist for treatment.
• If a pregnant woman is eligible for priority dental care, please complete a referral form.
• Pregnant women can also self-refer by ringing 1300 011 013 and letting us know that they are pregnant.

Refer a pregnant woman (Healthy Smiles for Two)

Referring to Special Care Dental Services

• Hospital inpatient referrals can be made on the Hospital’s Consultation Request Form.
• Referrals should provide enough detail for the Regional Senior Clinician to assess clinical need and prioritise patients accordingly.
• We may decide that the patient does not need to be seen at the Special Care Dental Unit. We will then arrange for the patient to be seen at a one of our major dental centres.
• Each referral is valid for 3 months from acceptance by Oral Health Services Tasmania.
• You can email or fax the form to us.

Medical treatments or conditions that may lead to referral include (but are not limited to):

• Radiation oncology/Head and neck radiotherapy
• Medical oncology (including medications to slow bone metabolism)
• Organ transplant
• Heart valve replacement
• Patients at risk of medication related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ)
• Poorly controlled diabetes
• Haemophilia or significant coagulopathy
• Hepatitis C
• Confirmed anaphylactic reactions to dental drugs and materials
• Endocrinology
• HIV
• Inpatients of the hospital with dental emergencies, dental infections, or dental condition/s impacting on their recovery.

Learn more in the Special Care Dental Services fact sheet.

Refer a patient to Special Care Dental Services