Value-Based Health Care is increasingly being considered by governments and health service providers in Australia as they seek to improve patient outcomes and experiences while reducing wastage and cost. Rising health care costs mean that efficiency, doing more with less, will inevitably be a key driver. In oral health this requires a shift away from a supply driven health care system organised around volume, output and what clinicians prescribe, towards a patient-centred system organised around what patients need and value.

A team-based care initiative, using an initial intake and orientation program for patients, focussed on engagement and education, can help patients better understand oral disease, the implications of improved self-management and the available treatment options. Furthermore, this orientation program also enables the clinicians to better understand the needs, wants and motivations of the patient. Deploying trained dental assistants improves cost effectiveness with low-cost service delivery.

This approach is also well-suited to delivery by telehealth and in both individual and group format – further reducing service delivery cost.