19 May 2004
Registration Fees For Dental Therapists Excessive
The Dental Council’s registration and annual practising certificate fees for dental therapists are excessively high and
will be yet another administrative cost for district health boards to pick up,” said New Zealand First health
spokesperson, Barbara Stewart.
“When the Health Practitioners Competency Act comes into force on 18 September 2004 the Dental Council proposes charging
$750 for each dental therapist practising.
“This totally unjustified fee consists of $500 for an annual practising certificate and $150 for registration.
“The end result will be that the district health boards have to spend funds from their already overstretched oral health
budgets just to ensure that their dental therapists are able to work and there will be no consequent benefits to the
consumers, in this case the children served by the DHB’s,” said Mrs Stewart.
ENDS