Consumer experiences of SA Dental Service

SA Dental Service consumer experience surveys

SA Dental Service regularly conducts surveys as one way of finding out what clients have to say about our service and identifying any areas in which we can improve.

Services for children

Parents/guardians are randomly selected to complete a survey for children who are aged less than 18 years who have completed a course of care at a School Dental Service Clinic.

The latest survey of our school dental services was conducted in September 2017, and some of the results included:


  • 20% of surveys were completed and returned
  • 98% of respondents rated their dental clinic experience as “good” or “very good”
  • 97% of respondents considered staff welcoming and helpful
  • 95% of respondents felt they were treated with dignity and respect
  • 97% of respondents thought dental staff “definitely” or “to some extent” worked well together to plan and coordinate their child’s dental care.


For a more detailed summary of results see the consumer experiences of school dental services (PDF 95KB).

Services for adults

In October 2019 around 800 adult clients who had recently completed a Course of Care at a Community Dental Service clinic or the Adelaide Dental Hospital were randomly selected to complete a consumer experience survey.


The survey results included:

  • 30% of surveys were completed and returned
  • 96% of respondents rated their dental clinic experience as “good” or “very good”
  • 94% of respondents considered staff welcoming and helpful
  • 91% of respondents felt they were treated with dignity and respect and
  • 94% would recommend the public dental service to a relative or friend

For a more detailed summary of results see the infographic consumer experiences of adult dental services (PDF 95KB).

Services provided by students 

Randomly selected clients who completed a course of care with students were asked to complete a survey.  

The survey was conducted in October 2018, and some of the results included:

  • 96% of respondents rated their dental clinic experience as 'good' or 'very good'.
  • 99% of respondents considered students and staff welcoming and helpful. 
  • 99% of respondents felt they were treated with dignity and respect.
  • 93% of respondents felt students and staff “always” explained things in a way they could understand.

For a more detailed summary of results see the consumer experiences of dental treatment provided by students (PDF 451KB).