Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025 72 Funded by: Federal Dept of Social Services – National Indigenous Australians Agency NSW Health – Rural Doctors Network – Western NSW Primary Health Network Celebrating over 39 years of Service since 1986 2 Performance Measures The following services were provided by Dentists. Service type No. provided No. patients Service type No. provided No. patients Examinations / Diagnostics incl Radiographs 260 129 Preventive 72 34 Periodontal Treatments 6 2 Tooth Extractions 85 50 Restorations 90 47 Endodontic 0 0 Denture and denture repairs 0 0 Medications 11 10 The following services by the Oral Health Therapist Service type No. provided No. patients Service type No. provided No. patients Examinations / Diagnostics incl radiographs 220 94 Preventive 119 55 Restorations 41 24 Tooth Extractions 348 32 Endodontic 0 0 Dental practitioners practise preventive, minimal oral health care and focus on restoring teeth, rather than extracting them. However, the history of dental care seeking behaviour, by adults particularly, is weighted heavily towards relief of pain and associated tooth extraction/s. The preventive approach adopted for the child dental program is resulting in fewer extraction cases, with a greater emphasis on restoring and preserving teeth. Dental Practice Accreditation The dental program achieved full accreditation against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) standards for Dental Practice Accreditation in 2013, being the first Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in New South Wales to do so. The dental program has maintained the cycles of dental practice assessment and accreditation through Quality Innovation Performance Ltd and is currently accredited to February 2026. Child Dental Program With the regular visits by the Oral Health Therapist, WAMS can focus on preventive programs for preschool and school aged children. The activities include regular screening and prioritising for dental care, implementing a fluoride varnish application program for under 5’s at high risk of dental decay, and supporting school based tooth brushing programs as well as working with young mothers and carers. The team utilises a mobile dental drills unit to do simple techniques such as fluoride applications and decay treatments at the schools. These concentrated preventive activities have considerably lowered the numbers of young children requiring dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA) in Dubbo Hospital, thus saving a lot of trauma to the child and family since GA comes with grave risks, and the time taken to travel to and from Dubbo
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