Categories & Rates

For information on our membership subscriptions please call 1800 444 542 or email us at [email protected]

Indemnity insurance plus DPL membership

Within the total amount paid by DPL members, there are two entirely separate elements. One is the insurance premium paid to MDA National Insurance Pty Ltd (to which GST and Stamp Duty is added), and the second is a subscription for DPL membership (to which GST alone is added, because DPL itself is not offering or providing a contract of insurance). These various elements will always be clearly identified on any invoice.

Please note that insurance for new applications can vary at any time without notice, and rates of Stamp Duty payable in an individual State are also subject to change.

When comparing indemnity products, it is very important to consider the overall details of the various products, rather than price alone. This is because you will almost certainly be comparing products that differ in one or more fundamental respects. Always check any indemnity insurance policy to make sure that it will meet your personal needs and requirements.

Dental indemnity insurance policies available to DPL members through DPL Australia Pty Ltd are underwritten by MDA National Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 56 058 271 417 AFS Licence No 238073.

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Read the MDA Dental Indemnity Policy

Read our Practice Category Guide for more information on practice categories

Frequently Asked Questions

Read our FAQs about the D4X membership category

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Are you a new graduate from an Australian dental institution?
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Upon application, your MDANI Dental Indemnity Policy can commence in your final year of study under the free graduate membership category. Dental graduates fall under the FYS/DG category while new hygienist, dental therapist and oral health therapist graduates fall under the FYS/QGA category.

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Started practising in Australia less than two years ago?
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Recent graduates may be able to pay less than the full rate. This would be dependent upon when you graduated and the month you commenced work in Australia, as each membership and MDANI policy year ends on 30 June.

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Switching indemnity providers?
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Joining (or re-joining) DPL having had a claims made insurance policy with an insurer other than MDANI?

Simply ask for a ‘retroactive date’ for your new MDANI insurance cover that suits your needs. This enables your MDANI policy to cover any new claims that surface from a previous period where you were indemnified by another insurer.

If you had previously been a DPL member prior to July 2003, you will probably only need retroactive cover back to the last date of that DPL membership – all cases arising from that earlier period of DPL membership can be covered under DPL’s occurrence-based arrangements that were in place at that time. This restores ‘seamless’ DPL membership and support for any past incidents that have not yet been reported to a previous insurer.

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Unusual practice arrangements?
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DPL’s size and experience means that we are no strangers to out-of-the-ordinary practice arrangements. We can advise you on how best to satisfy Dental Board/AHPRA requirements, and in many cases can speak to MDANI on your behalf to establish how best to insure yourself for the work you do. In some cases this would require an endorsement to any policy offered to you by MDANI.

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Working overseas?
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The MDANI Policy covers undertaking voluntary (unpaid) healthcare services overseas. In other situations, whether you are planning a working holiday, or something longer term, we can advise you on how to retain the ability of your MDANI Dental Indemnity Policy to respond to any claims that might arise after you have left Australia, but relating to a previous period when you were still practising here in Australia.

The rates and categories in force vary from one country to another but DPL has over 68,000 members worldwide and we can advise and guide you as necessary.

If you are a recent graduate you may find it helpful to visit DPL’s dedicated website for young dentists www.theyoungdentist.com where many recent graduates describe their experiences of working in various countries and jobs around the world.

Q
A colleague has died – am I indemnified to treat their patients?
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As is the case with any new patient you take on, so long as you are in the correct grade of membership to reflect the scope of your practice (eg if you are a general practitioner treating patients with implants, or continuing orthodontic treatment, then you are in the appropriate SP grade), you can request help or assistance from Dental Protection if needed.

When you take over the care of a patient, you are not taking over liability for past treatment, however you are responsible for all treatment going forward. If the patient was mid-way through a course of treatment with a previous dentist - for example, fitting crowns or dentures that had already been constructed - then you would need to be sure that the preparations on the teeth or dentures was of an appropriate standard before you continued with the treatment. If you have any concerns with the existing preparation, then you should amend or remake as needed. If you proceed with the existing treatment, you are accepting that it is of an appropriate standard. Similarly, if you do not agree with the pre-existing treatment plan, you will need to amend it and proceed as you see fit, as it will be your responsibility from that point forward.