30 July 2025
In conversation with ADAVB President Dr Carolyn Ng
As the new financial year gets into full swing and the mantle of ADAVB President changes hands, we wanted to take this opportunity to speak with Dr Carolyn Ng about her
hopes and ambitions for the year ahead as she steps into the role.
Dr Ng has extensive practical experience, a strong vision for the ADAVB, and a firm grasp of the overarching challenges and opportunities facing individual dentists and the industry as a whole. Read on for more.
1. Why were you drawn to dentistry as a career?
Toward the end of high school, I became intrigued by the field of dentistry and oral health. Realising I didn’t know much about it, I was drawn to the art and science of crafting function, health, beauty and confidence, building lasting and meaningful relationships with patients and colleagues, and the opportunity to grow professionally and personally through the complexity and the mastery of each clinical challenge.
2. Where do you practise now?
I currently practice in Hawthorn and Carlton.
3. What do you think are the main challenges facing the dental industry and how can the ADAVB help meet those challenges?
Many dental practices are currently grappling with spiralling cost pressures in the forms of rising wages, equipment costs and inflation that commonly force practice restructures and debt reduction strategies in order to stay viable.
Nationally, low-value Private Health Insurance continues to affect all Australians. Patients commonly pay more but get less in return. Annual premium hikes with inconsistent and discriminatory rebates restrict patient access to care, diminish patient choice and reduce service accessibility.
Locally, the Victorian Public Dental Crisis continues to be marked by underperformance in dentist wages, compounded by inefficiencies in a concentrated service delivery model, that have resulted in only 15% of dentists being available to serve 35% of eligible patients, thereby worsening disparities among critically vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.
Most importantly, professional cohesion is vital to our collective impact, yet it’s increasingly tested by factors such as divergent policy interpretations, commercial pressures and competitive dynamics. These forces can fragment collaboration, weaken our unified voice and limit our ability to professionally, ethically and effectively advocate, lead, and address sector-wide challenges, today and into the future.
To meet these challenges, ADAVB can lead with advocacy, transparency, and unity— by championing for equitable private insurance reforms, exposing rebate distortions and empowering patient choice while addressing practice viability through benchmarking, workforce support and collective procurement. Locally, it can continue to confront public system failings by pushing for wage parity, revealing service inefficiencies and mobilising cross-sector coalitions, all while rebuilding professional cohesion through inclusive and collaborative forums, ethical governance frameworks and strategic leadership development to unite the sector and restore its capacity to advocate, lead and reform with integrity. In doing so, it will improve the dental health of all Victorians, promote the highest standards of dental care and enhance the professional lives of its members.
4. When and why did you first nominate for ADAVB Council?
I first nominated in 2018. I chose to nominate for the ADAVB Council as a meaningful way to give back and contribute to the ongoing growth of our professional community. I believe in the importance of being counted and represented, and in amplifying the voices and experiences of our members to help shape a more cohesive and impactful future. Serving on Council presents an opportunity to influence decisions that matter, to learn from exceptional leaders and to challenge myself through self-discovery and self-mastery. It’s a journey toward personal achievement and significance—where each contribution holds purpose and the experience itself offers profound meaning.
5. What do you hope to achieve in your year as ADAVB President?
I hope to inspire, recognise and celebrate the enduring generosity of the hundreds of volunteers who selflessly devote their time, energy and expertise to the Branch and profession in the service of integrity, advocacy, influence and community. My aim is to ensure their contributions are not only visible and valued but meaningfully woven into the fabric of our shared purpose – reflecting the spirit of collaboration and the legacy of service that sustains us all.
I am firmly committed to challenging the forces that drive professional division and isolation, whether through steadfast advocacy and transparent representation or collaborative initiatives that cultivate collegiality, shared progress and peer support. I am inspired to champion this cause alongside like-minded leaders, equally devoted to fostering unity, upholding integrity and amplifying our collective impact.
6. How do you enjoy your time away from work?
Outside of work, I cherish spending time with family, savouring the culinary arts, dancing Modern Jive and unwinding with the latest blockbuster films. I also enjoy the challenge of being an intelligent and active steward in shaping my wellbeing, pursuing balance and nurturing the foundations of peace, hope and love. Beyond my role with the ADAVB, I am also honoured to serve on the ASO Vic Tas Executive Committee, as the Chair and Convenor for the Australasian Orthodontic Board that certifies excellence, education and peer review within the orthodontic specialty and as co-lead of the Career Circles for the Palladians alumni - championing, inspiring, and empowering both successful and emerging female leaders worldwide through meaningful connection and strategic collaboration.
