Oral Health Services (Dental)

Waikato District Health Board wants all 0-17 year olds to have healthy teeth through regular access to free basic oral health services.

It’s easy to enrol, just phone 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583) or 07 859 9160.

If your child is in Year 9 or above, you can choose a dentist to provide regular care.

Our services

New Zealand Dental Association
Let's talk teeth
Oral health publications
Age 5 and Year 8 time-series oral health data

Oral health care for 0-12 year olds

The Community Oral Health Service provides regular free basic care for children, at selected school sites. The service uses a combination of both mobile clinics and many clinics located on school grounds to provide a service focused on preventive care and a family / whanau approach.

The clinics, which open on a rotational basis, are predominantly staffed by dental therapists with help from dental assistants. The service has strong links with dentists and hospital-based dental services.

The staff also maintain links with public health nurses, dietitians and health promoters, to provide a holistic approach to oral care.

A focus on improving children’s oral health through regular assessment combined with education, prevention, treatment and referral to maintain and improve oral health.

All treatments are free and include:

Checking of teeth for decay and looking at gums and the entire mouth for any problems
X-rays to find tooth decay and other problems that can’t otherwise be seen
Fluoride treatments to make teeth more resistant to decay
Fissure sealants to stop surfaces getting decay
Cleaning off plaque and tartar
Fillings and stainless steel crowns to replace surfaces affected by decay
Removal of baby teeth that have been badly affected by decay

Community and mobile dental clinics

The service visits many early childhood centres.

It’s never too early to start knowing about looking after teeth, and Nipper and Nudge have been visiting early childhood centres to remind children to brush two minutes twice a day.

Community Dental Clinics are located at:

Frankton Primary School
Fairfield Intermediate School
Peachgrove intermediate School
Crawshaw Primary School
Cambridge Middle School
Firth Primary School
Morrinsville Primary School
Tokoroa Hospital

A fleet of 15 mobile dental clinics regularly visit schools in the Waikato DHB region.

Free oral health care for adolescents (13-17 year olds)

Adolescents are entitled to an annual check-up and basic routine dental care free of charge from selected dentists.

Routine dental treatment care focuses on the prevention of tooth decay and repair of cavities. It does not include cosmetic dentistry or orthodontics e.g. if you wish for white fillings to be used on back teeth, you will have to pay for this treatment.

List of the contracted dentists

Emergency dental care for children and adolescents

Contacting a dentist in an emergency for 0-17 year olds

contact the School Dental Service. If this services is not available then

contact your own dentist or
if you are not registered with a dentist contact Anglesea Clinic Dental Care in Hamilton.

For acute injury and trauma contact the hospital Accident and Emergency Department.