Analysis of public dental waiting lists in Queensland – 2015–2024

Objective Australians often wait a long time for public oral healthcare. This research analyses the numbers of people waiting for care, and numbers and percentage waiting beyond a desirable time for their clinical priority group, from 2015 to 2024, in Queensland. Methods Data are publicly available as part of the Queensland Government Open Data Portal. Data report the numbers of people waiting by time category, clinical priority group and Hospital and Health Service. Data for the end of September for each year from 2015 to 2024 were analysed. Results Across the 10-year period, there were always in excess of 100,000 people on the waiting list. In 2015 there were 116,046 people on the waiting list, peaking at 154,247 in 2020, and 150,485 in 2024. Of these, 80-90% are on the list for general care, desirable within 24months. Generally, across priority clinical groups the percentage waiting beyond the desirable time increased from 2015 to the pandemic period (2020-2021) and has since improved. For example, for Priority 1 (dental treatment desirable within 1month) the percentage waiting too long was 50% in 2015, which reached a peak of 80% in 2021 and decreased to 59% in 2024. Conclusion Reducing waiting list numbers for public oral healthcare is a challenge. In Queensland there are about 150,000 people on this waiting list, however, the majority are within the desirable wait time. This challenge is identified in numerous state and federal government documents, however, clear and feasible strategies appear to be lacking to reduce waiting list numbers and times.