Pensioners pulling teeth as system fails
Can you imagine the pain of pulling out a tooth using a pair of pliers? Pensioners can because they are reportedly doing it to themselves as Australia’s public dental system continues to fail them. National Seniors Australia chief executive, Michael O’Neill, tells AAP “anecdotal feedback” claims many seniors are “waiting far too long for treatment”.
Can you imagine the pain of pulling out a tooth using a pair of pliers? Pensioners can because they are reportedly doing it to themselves as Australia’s public dental system continues to fail them.
National Seniors Australia chief executive, Michael O’Neill, tells AAP “anecdotal feedback” claims many seniors are “waiting far too long for treatment”.
“People have become jack of it after a couple of years and get a pair of pliers and pull it out. They’ve put up with it for so long,” Mr O’Neill says.
National Seniors Australia is calling on six-monthly check-ups for people living in aged care facilities, and will include the call in its 2012-13 Federal Budget submission.
Dental care is a “high priority” for National Seniors Australia, according to Mr O’Neill, who says seniors are particularly susceptible to more serious health issues if their teeth are in poor condition.
“If you do have bad teeth when you’re older it does limit your capacity to eat,’ he says, adding it becomes “a bit of a snowballing thing”.
Mr O’Neill recommends dental hygienists visit aged care facilities every six months to conduct check-ups and recommend further treatment with a dentist as needed.
A Federal Department of Health and Ageing says while public dental services to Pensioner Concession Card and Health Care Card holders is a state matter, the Federal Government offered the Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS).
“The CDDS provides up to $4,250 over two calendar years in Medicare benefits for dental services for people with a chronic medical condition and complex care needs and whose oral health is impacting on their general health,” the department’s spokesperson says.
To be eligible for the CDDS, patients must have a GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements in place to manage their condition, and they must also be referred to a dentist by their GP.
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