KEY POINTS:
The Government's plan to close hundreds of school dental clinics and build fewer, larger ones looks likely to cost far more than the $100 million promised before the last election.
There are about 1100 school dental clinics nationally; Auckland City has about 50, in addition to several mobile clinics, serving 90 schools.
The Auckland District Health Board, which wants to close all the fixed clinics in the city except one on Waiheke Island, estimates the cost to far exceed the amounts offered.
"Thirteen clinics will be replaced with modern, purpose-built clinics, while the remainder will be handed over to schools or demolished," the board says in a business case to the Ministry of Health.
The paper says the board's share of the $100 million would be $9.6 million, but it would need $13.37 million for construction and equipment. And its share of the extra $40 million available nationally over four years to run the expanded school dental service would be $981,400 a year, but it would need $4.9 million, including the extra capital-servicing costs.
Tony Ryall, health spokesman for the National Party, which has obtained a number of health boards' business cases from the ministry under the Official Information Act, said last night the bids far exceeded the Government's budget for the dental service revamp.
Labour had promised to fix the dental service, he said. "Here we are at the end of their time, and the Government still hasn't achieved anything."
Prime Minister Helen Clark promised in 2005 that her Government would revamp child and adolescent dental services in its third term.
The ministry's chief adviser on oral health, Dr Robin Whyman, said yesterday the spending on new buildings and equipment was subject to further talks with health boards, but "there are expectations there needs to be further operational funding available".
Auckland's plans were subject to combined talks with the region's three health boards, Dr Whyman said.
The emerging plans nationally are for a greatly reduced number of clinics but with more treatment chairs than now - at least two, and up to six - plus many more mobile clinics.
Some of the fixed clinics, called community clinics, will treat adolescents aged up to 18 as well as primary, intermediate and preschool children.
Some boards want high school students to continue to be treated by state-funded dentists; others want a mix of this and treatment at community clinics.
Dental therapists in mobile clinics will mostly do check-ups, referring children needing treatment to community "hub" clinics, although in high-needs areas they may do more treatment.
