About the schedule

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides basic dental services to eligible children aged 0 to 17 years.

Under the CDBS, we cap dental services at $1,052 over 2 consecutive calendar years. The cap amount is indexed yearly on 1 January.

The 2-year cap period starts when a child or teenager first gets an eligible dental service.

Services covered

Dental services covered by the CDBS include:

  • examinations
  • x-rays
  • cleaning
  • fissure sealing
  • fillings
  • root canals
  • extractions
  • partial dentures.

Dental service restrictions

The CDBS doesn’t cover orthodontic, cosmetic dental work or dental services provided in hospital.

There are some restrictions for dental services. These are in the Guide to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.

CDBS legislation

The Dental Benefits Act 2008 and the Dental Benefit Rules regulate the payment of dental benefits. You can access and read these legislative instruments on the Federal Register of Legislation website.

Page last updated: 1 January 2023.
QC 32301