I’m requesting anonymised ACC claim data related to dental injuries over the past five years. Specifically, I’m seeking information on claims that required prior approval, as well as data on age groups, treatment types, outcomes, and processing times. Ideally, the dataset would include case-level anonymised details to allow analysis of trends, costs, and claim outcomes between 2019 and 2024. The requested dataset should include: - Total number of ACC dental claims per year, broken down by age group, by cost per claim, by status (e.g., Approved, Rejected, Pending) - Number of claims per year that required prior approval vs no prior approval - Average and distribution of processing times (from claim submission to decision) - Main rejection reasons for declined dental claims -Treatment category and/or type (e.g., emergency, restorative, surgical)

At present, there is no accessible, detailed dataset on dental injury claims in New Zealand. This limits understanding of the scale, cost, and nature of these injuries, as well as the performance of the claims process. Without access to this data, researchers and policymakers cannot accurately identify trends, high-risk age groups, or areas needing improved treatment access or preventive action.

Releasing this dataset would enable independent analysis of dental injury patterns and ACC claim performance. It would help identify systemic issues, support prevention-focused research, and guide more effective allocation of healthcare and funding resources. Ultimately, making this data open would improve transparency and contribute to better oral health outcomes for New Zealanders.