Kia ora, Talofa lava, Mālō e leilei, Kia orāna, Bula, Fakaalofa lahi atu – warm greetings to our community for 2023.
The Auckland Regional Dental Service would like to thank our communities for their support and understanding whilst we continue to work through a catch-up recovery programme following significant service disruption during the COVID-19 period.
Our aim as part of this recovery programme is to deliver equitable service access for our tamariki/children. To do this, we will be increasing the frequency of our mobile dental facilities into and out of schools and focusing on examining and treating tamariki that we have identified as having higher dental needs and are most overdue. This means that not all tamariki will be seen on the mobile unit at the time of each planned visit.
Our fixed site/hub clinics will continue to provide regular dental services, mostly by appointment arrangement.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s dental needs, please contact us on 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583) to speak with one of our staff.
We ask that you continue to be considerate with our staff during this time.
Free Dental Services for Children Living in Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland):
The Auckland Regional Dental Service (ARDS) is funded to provide free dental care to children from birth through to the end of school year 8. Following this, tamariki from school year 9 are transferred to the Adolescent services to continue free dental care up until their 18th birthday.
Based on clinically assessed dental risk level, your child will be provided a recall of 6, 12 or 18 months. Our dental/oral health therapists will provide your child’s clinical oral health care. Should your child require specific dental treatment that our therapists have assessed as being unable to provide, a referral to a contracting dentist for free treatment may be provided. Please note that if sedation is required, there may be costs associated with this.
Due to the high demand for our services, dental appointments outside a child’s recall will only be provided based on the child’s dental needs as assessed by one of our therapists. ARDS is not able to offer appointments for routine cleaning and scaling and/or orthodontic-related extractions.
Good dental health for your child starts in the home:
Most oral health conditions are largely preventable. We recommend all whānau/families support their tamariki with twice-a-day tooth brushing using fluoride toothpaste and limiting sugary food and drinks as best you can. Further information on key oral health messages for different age groups is provided on our website.
After-Hours Emergency Dental Access:
For urgent dental treatment needs outside of our normal operating hours, please contact your nearest dentist and ask if they are contracted to offer free emergency after-hours care for children.
Alternatively, medical care in relation to an urgent dental condition can be accessed through your GP/family doctor or an emergency medical practice. Free 24-hour advice on what to do in a dental emergency is also accessible through Healthline on 0800 611 116.
Please click here for Dental Trauma First Aid poster for your information.
The Auckland Regional Dental Service (Children’s Community Dental Service).
Auckland Regional Dental Service (ARDS)
Free dental assessments and care are provided for children and adolescents in the greater Auckland area.
Birth to Year 8
The ARDS School Dental Service provides free dental services to children from birth to Year 8 who have been enrolled with the service. We operate from dental facilities across the greater Auckland area; these facilities include a mixture of fixed clinics, transportable dental units and dental vans. For more information about child dental care or to find a list of clinics near you please check our website here or phone 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583).
Adolescent Dental Care
Free dental care is provided for adolescents from Year 9 until their 18th birthday by contracted dental practices. Regardless of whether adolescents are at school, in paid employment or not, they are still entitled to free dental services. For more information about adolescent dental care or to find a dental practice who provides funded dental care near you please click here or phone 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583).
Enrolment
All babies born in Auckland's main hospitals are automatically registered with the Auckland Regional Dental Service.
If your child is new to Auckland or new to New Zealand they may not be registered with us. To enrol/register your child please complete the ARDS Dental Registration Update E-form here, phone 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583), or contact one of our dental facilities.
Please click here to view ARDS - Frequently Asked Questions.