GPs & Practice team
Over 70 per cent of Victorian children under five have never visited a dentist [i], and yet in a child’s first year of life they see a general practitioner almost 11 times [ii]. Supporting general practitioners and practice nurses to incorporate oral health when seeing families with young children could help to tackle Australia’s most common chronic illness, tooth decay.
Referring patients
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Recommend a regular check-up, even if there is no pain. |
Contact us |
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Please contact us for emergencies, referral or general enquiries. |
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Patients with special needs |
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A special care unit is available at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.
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Referring patients who cannot consent themselves |
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For assistance with referring patients who cannot consent to medical and dental treatment, please refer to the Office of the Public Advocate (Victoria). |
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Dental services
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Dental care is provided at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne[ To access general, denture or specialist care through the public dental system, patients will need to be eligible[ Anyone can receive emergency dental care through The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne (Carlton). |
 View the public dental services available |
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Private Dental Services |
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Resources for you
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Studies show that poor oral health is connected to major chronic diseases. This report released by Dental Health Services Victoria explains how dental health is linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, stroke, dementia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. |
 Read links between oral and general health [PDF - 1,396 KB] |
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Pregnancy and oral health |
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This fact sheet provides important information to help GPs understand the importance of oral health during pregnancy and provide evidence-based care and advice to pregnant women. |
| View the pregnancy and oral health fact sheet [PDF - 740 KB] |
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Early childhood and oral health
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This early childhood fact sheet is designed to support GPs to integrate oral health in their professional practice. |
| View the early childhood fact sheet [PDF - 629 KB] |
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Lift the lip video (New Zealand Dental Association) |
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Lift the lip – a quick technique to check the health of children’s teeth. It is part of the Commonwealth Healthy Kids Check, and is included in the RACGP Guidelines for Clinical Preventative Activities in GP Practice as part of the general physical examination of children. |
 View the lift the lip video |
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CPD online training - Early childhood oral health: case studies from general practice |
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This online activity supports general practitioners and practice nurses to effectively perform their critical role in identifying, preventing and managing early childhood caries. This activity was developed by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) & the Centre for Oral Health Strategy NSW. Participation has 2 QA&CPD Program Category 2 points and 1 Royal College of Nursing Australia Continuing Nurse Education point. Access is free to RACGP and their affiliate members via the RACGP website |
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New Commonwealth Antenatal Care Guidelines |
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Oral health has now been included as part of the first antenatal care visit. |
| Visit the Department of Health website |
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Information for your patients
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| Full DHSV resource library DHSV offers a number of oral health fact sheets, tip cards and guides on how to care for teeth at all ages at our resource library. |
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Useful links
| Better Health Channel |
| Raising Children network |
| Australian Dental Association |
| The Cancer Council Victoria – oral cancer page |
| Victorian Government Health Information - Dentistry in Victoria |
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[i] Department of Human Services 2007 Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey Technical Report, 2006
[ii] Goldfeld, S., Wright, M. and Oberklaid, F. (2003), Parents, infants and health care: Utilization of health services in the first 12 months of life. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 39: 249–253