HUME'S massive dental waiting list might not be shortened despite the federal government's $513 million funding for dental services around the country.
The funding, announced in last week's budget, will be rolled out over four years.
Of this, $345.9 million is for treating those on long waiting lists and providing other services.
But Dianella Community Health's dental services general manager Sachidanand Raju said the money might not impact on Hume.
The most recent reported waiting times at Dianella are 30 months for general dental care and 28 months for denture care.
"I don't know what effect it will have here; it may not affect metropolitan areas but [may make a difference in] mainly country areas," he said.
"Because what [the Health Department] is looking at is dentists to relocate to regional and rural areas."
Dr Raju said the problem in Hume was lack of adequate dental chairs.
At present, Dianella has six chairs in Broadmeadows and two in a mobile van. By January next year there will be four available in Craigieburn.
"We're setting up a four-chair clinic in Craigieburn, which will make a bit of a difference [to cut the waiting times]. At the moment we don't have enough chairs," Dr Raju said.
"I think the problem we have is emergency treatment. Patients can't get an appointment on the day; they're waiting too long to have treatment."
Included in the government funding is a public dental waiting list blitz, oral health promotion and expansion of the 'voluntary dental graduate year program'.
In other budget announcements:
*The Schoolkids Bonus will give parents $410 for each child in primary school and $820 for each child in high school.
*$1billion will go to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
*$35million goes to the National Workforce Development Fund.