Happy birthday to us | 30 years of Oral Health Victoria

This year marks 30 incredible years of Oral Health Victoria, formerly Dental Health Services Victoria.

That’s three decades of improving oral health literacy and providing world-class care that improves oral health outcomes.

Three decades of leading prevention and population health programs, shaping policy and research, and partnering with communities and organisations across Victoria.

And three incredible decades of making dental and oral health care more accessible in our communities and schools.

We’re celebrating by sharing the reflections of two of our longstanding staff members who have been here since the beginning.

Safety and Quality Advisor Nina Christofi has seen tremendous progress over the decades – but says our mission has remained our guiding light.

“Throughout these changes, our core purpose has remained improving oral health outcomes.

"The progress achieved has never been the result of any one single individual, but the collective efforts of dedicated people who have come and gone, each contributing to new ideas and initiatives that shaped its evolution,” said Nina.

Clinical Business Analyst Martin Whelan joined the organisation in 1996 and has witnessed major evolutions across public oral health.

“How quickly 30 years passes! I’ve experienced almost the full history of the organisation, including acquiring RDHM and the Community Dental Program (now known as community dental agencies), and the School Dental Program, which later became Smile Squad.

“When I started, email was new and computers were only available to senior staff. Computers for clinicians came a few years after the turn of the century. I have seen major changes in patient management systems, leading to Titanium which is what we now use.

“All these changes were made so that we can continue improving our services. I thoroughly enjoy working at OHV and it’s been a great experience to be part of this journey,” said Martin.