Dental crisis ‘national embarrassment’

Many of the two million Australians badly in need of dental care are missing out because they cannot afford it, with a consumer health group describing the situation as a “national embarrassment”.

The Consumers Health Forum (CHF) of Australia says there are at least 650,000 people on dental waiting lists and, on average, they are waiting two years for help.

CHF chief executive, Carol Bennett, told The Herald Sun the situation required funding reform in the upcoming federal and state Budgets.

“More than 30% of all adults, and close to 47% of concession-card holders are delaying, or avoiding, dental treatment because of the cost. This is undoubtedly a crisis,” she said.

She added aged care reforms must also include dental care because many of Australia’s elderly had poor dental health.

SA Dental Service executive director, Dr Martin Dooland, said waiting times in SA had reduced from 49 months in 2002 to nine months in the past year.

“No one is happy with a wait of that time, we would obviously like to be able to offer low-income earners the opportunity to have a check-up sooner,” he said.

A recent dental health policy paper found untreated dental issues were estimated to cost about $2 billion a year in lost productivity.

Ms Bennett said just 11% of people received any kind of dental treatment each year.

“In the past two years, close to two million Australians in need of dental care missed out because they couldn’t afford it.

“The federal government should be prioritising those most in need that have the least ability to pay for dental care, and it should set up an effective targeted subsidy scheme.”

In March last year, 24,259 South Australians were waiting to see a dentist, a figure which had since dropped to 21,939 in March this year. The advent of GP Plus and GP Super Clinics had helped reduce the waiting times over recent years, Dr Dooland said, but more could be done, particularly for preventive dental care.

“All the research shows if you just rely upon episodic relief of pain as your pattern of dental care, that’s when the problem really compounds,” he said.

Low-income earners were 47% more likely to have had a toothache in the past year and 76% more likely to avoid foods because of problems with teeth.