As mentioned in our July 2025 Noosa 360 update, the Minister for Health advised the closure of the Noosa Dental Clinic was being considered, with more information at www.sandybolton.com/proposed-closure-of-noosa-dental-clinic-july-2025.

From resident feedback received, there appears to be a lack of information provided by governments over the years to eligible residents that this service was available, and that those who knew often had months of waiting to access this essential dental care.  More information on who is eligible is available at www.qld.gov.au/health/services/oral-eye-ear/dental-services.

Sandy’s initial investigations and inquiries have yielded the below responses in italics from the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. Of note, there is sufficient patient demand for the chairs at Noosa to be in use five days a week, however, the decision to propose closure as advised below is not related to demand, but due to challenges in recruiting dentists and high operating costs.

Sandy is writing to the Minister for Health requesting on behalf of residents impacted that alternative solutions be investigated,  and encourage all to join us in doing so by emailing health@ministerial.qld.gov.au after reading the following information. Please copy our office in via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and forward us any response you receive.

How many presentations has there been to Noosa Dental in the last five years?

Between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2025, there have been 16,434 appointments for the Noosa Dental Clinic.

Demand for public dental services in Noosa remains the lowest in the region, and projected population growth over the next five years is expected to increase demand by less than 0.5%. 2.7% of Sunshine Coast patients waiting for priority or general care are in the Noosa postcodes of 4567 and 4566.

How many of those presentations were treated at Noosa Dental? How many of those presentations were referred to Nambour or another public outlet?

As per Queensland Health Guideline: Oral Health Services Waiting List, patients are allocated to a waiting list at a facility according to their preference, regardless of their place of residence. Patients cannot simply present to Noosa Dental Services; it is not a walk-in service.  There is no mechanism to capture data for patient initiated requests for transfer between SCHHS operated clinics.  

How many of those presentations were referred to a private clinic?

The SCHHS does not refer to private clinics. Patients are provided advice on private services that are outside of our scope of service, but there is no referral process to a private clinic.

How many vouchers were issued in the last five years?

Between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2025, 8,435 vouchers were issued for the Noosa region. The total over the entire Sunshine Coast Service Area for the same period is 55,691.  These vouchers are issued for use at private clinics with a formal agreements with Queensland Health to deliver a set range of services, in line with clinic scope. Issue is dependent on clinic capacity, to reduce waitlist times, and prioritise patients whose postcode indicates they live a considerable distance from a clinic location.

In addition, how are card holders made aware that the Noosa Dental Clinic was even there and available?

Information about clinic locations is available on the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service website. 

If there is no mechanism to capture data for patient-initiated requests, how is underutilisation determined? In addition, there have been reports that patients have been turned away due to lack of availability, are these instances included, and do calculations take into account reduction in staffing and vacant positions at the Noosa Dental Clinic?

In response to the above questions, it is important to clarify that “underutilisation” is not a reason for the proposed closure.

The Noosa region has the lowest average utilisation rates of public dental services within the SCHHS catchment, correlating with the high socio-economic status of the area. 

For example, the average utilisation rate for Noosa Heads is 4.5% for the 65+ age group and 11.9% for the 16-64 age group. 

This can be compared to areas with the highest utilisation – 24.8% for the 65+ age group in Caloundra and 20.7% for the 16-64 age group for Gympie Surrounds.

For further clarity, yes, there is sufficient patient demand for the chairs at Noosa to be in use five days a week, however, the decision to propose closure is not related to demand, but because:

  • Recruiting dentists to the Noosa Dental Clinic has been challenging and in addition to long term vacancies, leave is often not able to be backfilled. Currently, the Senior Dentist position is vacant, with an additional Dentist on maternity leave. Ongoing recruitment and retention challenges make it unlikely these vacancies will be consistently filled. There is a national shortage of Dental Officers, and the Sunshine Coast is not immune from this.
  • the Noosa Dental Clinic has been identified as a high-cost service relative to other SCHHS Dental Clinics, in the context of the ratio of clinicians to support staff required, as the clinic is a small two chair clinic. Noosa Dental Clinic operates with the highest cost per chair, of any SCH Dental Clinic ($136,474 annually compared to most efficient clinic $44,133 annually).

Feedback received has been that many were/are unaware of public dental services including the Noosa clinic, hence they have been utilising Nambour and other services which has been problematic in terms of transport. What is being investigated to improve awareness?

Patients are offered an appointment at their closest location. A patient may elect to receive treatment at another location (such as Nambour) or receive a voucher (if suitable) if they are unhappy with the wait time for an appointment at their preferred location. As per email advice sent on 27 August 2025, further information is available on the Queensland Health website.

Given residents have raised that it can take up to eighteen months to receive a non-emergency appointment booking through the public system, why is the facility not utilised more to reduce this wait time?

The recommended wait time for non-urgent care is 24 months, in line with statewide policy and the National Oral Health Plan. Patients who are assessed as having more urgent needs are assigned to a higher priority waiting list.

Further information

More information on public Sunshine Coast Dental Services can be found at www.sunshinecoast.health.qld.gov.au/services/dental.

Our previous Noosa 360 update regarding the Noosa Dental Clinic are available at www.sandybolton.com/?s=Noosa+Dental+Clinic.

A reminder that residents experiencing a dental emergency can attend their nearest emergency department (ED), which would be Noosa Hospital for most of our community. EDs can manage treatment temporarily focusing on pain relief until the next business day when dental clinic services are available.