Dental benefits for kids (CDBS)

Key facts

Visiting the dentist regularly helps maintain good oral health.

The Australian Government's Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) covers the cost of basic dental services for eligible children aged 0 to 17 years.

The CDBS provides eligible children with a capped benefit for a range of basic dental services.

You can use CDBS payments to help pay for your child's dental treatment at a public or private dentist.

If you see a private dentist, ask about out-of-pocket costs.

What is the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS)?

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule, or CDBS, was introduced by the Australian Government to help families access preventative dental care and general dental treatment for children aged up to 17 years.

The CDBS provides eligible children with a capped benefit over a 2 calendar-year period.

You can use the cap to claim individual benefits for a range of basic dental services, at both public and private dental clinics. Many dental clinics will bulk bill (Opens in new tab) treatment under the CDBS.

When you book an appointment, tell your dentist you want to use the CDBS. Ask how much funding you have available under your CDBS cap. Services Australia manages the payments of CDBS benefits.

Who is eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule?

You don't need to apply or register for CDBS. Services Australia will notify you if your child is eligible, by post or online. Your child may be eligible for the CDBS during the relevant calendar year if they:

are eligible for Medicare on the day they get dental treatment, and
are aged up to 17 for at least one day of the calendar year, and
receive, or are part of a family that receives, an eligible payment from Services Australia (Opens in new tab) at least once

Public and private dentists

All public dental clinics provide dental treatment to children eligible for CDBS payments. The service is bulk billed and there are no out-of-pocket costs (Opens in new tab).

You can also use CDBS payments to pay for some or all of your treatment at a private dentist.

You can use the full benefit amount at once or spread it out over 2 calendar years. Once the benefit cap is reached, no further benefits are paid in that benefit cap period.

You may need to pay some out-of-pocket costs if you choose a private dentist. Make sure you check in advance how much the procedure is likely to cost and if additional work may be needed. Ask your dentist to explain all the costs to you before your child starts treatment.

If you have private health insurance (Opens in new tab), you cannot claim from your health fund and claim a CDBS payment for the same treatment.