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New ADA president, Dr Chris Sanzaro, is setting a strong agenda advocating for under-served patients who are suffering from a lack of access to care. By Shane Conroy
It’s six months into his tenure as the new federal president of the Australian Dental Association, and Dr Chris Sanzaro already has a clear mission in mind, with particular focus on the looming Australian federal election.
He believes the future of dental funding and healthcare policy stands at a significant crossroads, and this election presents a pivotal opportunity to advocate for sustainable oral health reforms that will directly impact millions of Australians.
Under his presidency, Dr Sanzaro says the ADA’s mission will be about securing tangible outcomes that benefit practitioners and their patients.
Public funding for seniors’ dental care
Among his most pressing concerns are the urgent need for better access to publicly funded dental care for seniors. According to the ADA, Australians over the age of 65 are missing 14 teeth on average, with one in four seniors avoiding certain foods due to problems with their teeth or mouth. And as the number of Australians over the age of 65 is expected to double by 2062, this crisis will only deepen.
In response, Dr Sanzaro is calling for the implementation of the Seniors Dental Benefits Schedule (SDBS), a proposal that would provide up to $1132 worth of free dental care every two years for eligible seniors.
While there have been proposals for universal Medicare-style dental coverage, Dr Sanzaro argues that such a model is neither financially feasible nor the most effective approach.
“To provide dental services to every Australian would cost up to $12 billion a year and no government has ever been able to take this on,” he explains. “So the SDBS is the affordable option and represents a crucial step toward providing equitable healthcare for older Australians.”
Incentives for regional and rural dentists
Ensuring that patients in regional and rural areas have access to affordable, high-quality dental care is also central to Dr Sanzaro’s vision. He says the problem is not necessarily a shortage of dentists at the national level, but rather an uneven spread of the workforce.
“We know there are many metropolitan areas where there are arguably enough dentists–probably more than enough dentists,” he says. “However, there are areas in regional and rural Australia where we simply don’t have enough dentists to meet the demand for dental care.”
We’d have to take young children off to general anaesthetics and remove the majority of their teeth when they were just four or five years old. And then grandma asks, ‘When is it safe to give them Coke again?’
Dr Chris Sanzaro, president, ADA
He sees a significant role for government incentives such as long-term commitments to voucher schemes that could make a stronger business case for new regional and rural practices. As part of this, he advocates for better collaboration between the public and private sectors to ensure that dental services are available where they are most needed.
“This means pushing for policies that encourage practitioners to establish careers in regional Australia, rather than merely completing short-term placements,” he says.
Effective guidance for tech advancements
The ever-evolving technological revolution and its impact on dentistry is also high on Dr Sanzaro’s areas of concern. Innovations in artificial intelligence, digital diagnostics, and automated treatment planning tools continue to change the way clinics across Australia work. He does state, however, that technological change must always be implemented thoughtfully to ensure quality and safety are maintained.
“No technological change comes without risks. Effectively managing those risks will need proper regulation and oversight. The ADA must help dentists navigate these changes and ensure that technological advancements are used responsibly and do not compromise patient safety or professional standards, whilst minimising regulatory burden.”
Networking support for isolated dentists
Dr Sanzaro, 44, was elected to the ADATas Council in 2010, and was ADATas branch president in 2014-15. He has also been a federal councillor since 2014, was elected to the Federal Executive in 2020 and has also served on the Constitution & Policy committee, the Audit & Risk committee, and as chair of the Recent Graduates Advisory Panel and Employed Dentists Working Panel.
He was elected ADA president in November 2024 taking the reins following the presidential tenures of Dr Scott Davis and Dr Stephen Liew.
Dr Sanzaro wants his presidency to be defined by an ongoing commitment to ensuring the ADA serves as an engaged and supportive professional body for all of its members.
He believes that networking and knowledge-sharing among dentists is crucial. This is particularly true in a profession where many practitioners work in small or solo practices with limited peer contact.
“The networking available within the ADA allows clinicians to form a very effective support network which is essential to career longevity and satisfaction,” he says. ADA networking opportunities in 2025 include a schedule of workshops, mentorship programs, lectures and webinars, the 39th Australian Dental Congress in May at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the Peer by ADA platform that brings the networking experience online.
The first steps
Dr Sanzaro left his childhood home in Melbourne to study for his Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the University of Adelaide. After graduating in 2003, he took an opportunity to work in public health in Mackay, Queensland.
“It was a great first step out of university,” he explains. “Because patients aren’t paying, it wasn’t so much about the business side of things, but rather just about getting comfortable with providing care, managing cases, and working in an area where there was real need.”
He was promoted to senior dental officer in the School Dental Service in his second year, and was confronted with some of the harsh realities of oral health inequality across the community.
“We’d have to take young children off to general anaesthetics and remove the majority of their teeth when they were just four or five years old. And then grandma asks, ‘When is it safe to give them Coke again?’”
After two years in Mackay, he was ready to transition into private practice. He worked for a year in Shepparton, Victoria, before deciding to make a permanent move to Launceston, his wife’s hometown, in 2007. While private practice offered greater autonomy, he quickly discovered that the state faced significant workforce shortages, particularly in specialist care.
“There just weren’t many specialists in Tasmania,” he says. “This meant that general dentists were under pressure to provide treatment at the limit of our scope of practice. But this also provided some great learning opportunities.”
In 2011, he purchased The Dental Surgery in Newstead, a well-established practice in Launceston. As a practice owner, he became intimately familiar with the challenges of running a business in a profession that was becoming increasingly complex. Managing staff, navigating compliance regulations, and keeping up with advancements in technology and materials all became part of his daily reality. He also cites a strong interest in prevention, complex case management, and working with specialist dentists.
But, as the practice grew significantly under his leadership, he never lost sight of his guiding principle–prioritising long-term patient outcomes over short-term profits.
“I’ve always had an interest in long-term treatment planning for my patients. It’s never been about short-term fixes for me, but about what good dentistry can do for my patients over their lifetime.”
