The nation’s dentists have slated as a wasted opportunity the Government’s failure to properly consider funding dental services for Australia’s most vulnerable populations.
The Government today (July 18) released its response to the Inquiry into Senate Select Committee into the Provision of and Access to Dental Services in Australia, held last year, which made 35 recommendations to the Government, including several from the Australian Dental Association (ADA).
Key to our recommendations was to implement a Seniors Dental Benefits Schedule along the lines of the existing scheme for children, which would include providing funded dental care for over 200,000 seniors in residential aged care.
“It would only cost the Government $15bn a decade compared with trying to include dental into Medicare for every Australian, at a cost of at least $77 bn a decade, it’s estimated.
“So it makes perfect sense for the Government to have adopted the more financially palatable roadmap we propose for seniors, and then roll it out to other vulnerable populations including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations and those on low incomes as outlined in the ADA’s Australian Dental Health Plan, (link below),” said ADA President Dr Scott Davis.
“But instead of doing that, the Government has chosen to ignore our solution for tackling the oral health issue of millions of seniors, as well as those other populations.”
Council on the Ageing data shows 40% over 55s delayed dental treatment in the last 12 months due to cost, increasing to 44% for those on lower incomes, including pensioners and those in aged care.
In addition the Government has sidestepped the need to address the issue of diminishing access to general anaesthetic services for children and special needs patients unable to have care in a general dental clinic.
The Senate report recognised the need for the Child Dental Benefits Scheme to be extended for services under general anaesthetic which would have contributed to improving this issue, but clearly they don’t care about this sector of the community either.
Dr Davis added: “Doesn’t the government realize it’s a whole lot cheaper to fix people’s oral health in dental clinics and dental hospitals than have people suffering in pain and presenting at hospital emergency departments?
“Our plan is a defined and clear roadmap out of this disaster, and not taking it up is a wasted opportunity and short-termist by the Albanese administration.
“If the Government chooses to ignore the recommendations of the Parliamentary Senate Inquiry, what’s the point of the Inquiry? Has it all been a whitewash and a show pony?”
The ADHP can be found here: https://www.ada.org.au/about/dental-profession/australian-dental-health-plan
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The illnesses and diseases exacerbated by dental decay range from heart and lung disease to mental health issues. All these illnesses are a cost to Medicare, and as dentistry can alleviate these problems it needs to be recognised as contributing to health and wellbeing levels in cheaper ways than medical and psychiatric interventions. Not properly funding dentistry is a false economy
Even top level footballers in Europe, i.e. youngsters in academies, have their teeth fixed due to other issues that can emerge, impacting performance and fine tuning; based on sports science like Arsene Wenger introduced ‘dietary’ regimes at Arsenal a generation ago, and others followed.
I don’t know what’s going on with other states. Victoria has a very good dental scheme. It’s comprised of three schemes:
Victorian Emergency Dental Scheme (VEDS)
Victorian General Dental Scheme (VGDS)
Victorian Denture Scheme (VDS)
Access / ratification is via registered community health services and Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne. Service / vouchers are available for in-house services or private clinics.
Eligibility:
all children aged 0–12 years
young people aged 13–17 years who hold a healthcare or pensioner concession card, or who are dependants of concession card holders
people aged 18 years and over, who are health care or pensioner concession card holders or dependants of concession card holders
all children and young people in out-of-home care provided by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), up to 18 years of age (including kinship and foster care)
all people in youth justice custodial care
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
all refugees and asylum seekers.
Priority Access is available vs going on general waiting list for:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
children and young people
people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
pregnant women
refugees and asylum seekers
people registered with mental health or disability services, who have a letter of recommendation from their case manager or a special developmental school.
It operates really well, albeit, some private clinics ‘push back’ against it.
Once again the Albanese LABOR government is shown to be out of touch with the needs of Australian voters. Dental health is an essential pre-requisite for a better life. See @ Lyndal above.
Now consider the dental pain in regional Australia where dentists are a scarce commodity and dental problems can be long suffering.
Where are the government funded mobile dental clinics, as we had back in the 50s for school kid dental health due to Sydney water lacking sufficient flouride ions to strengthen developing teeth sufficiently against caries?
The scientific data for the benefits of flouride supplementation are 60+ years proven …. my now adult kids escaped to adulthood before dental caries thanks to tank water & flouride tablets ….. so do NOT bother spruiking any anti-flouride bull manure in response to this post.
Healthy teeth means that we can chew effectively, eat properly and thereby enjoy better health.
Works for children, works for adults, works for a mate of mine who destroyed hos teeth through drug taking, but got clean, got dentures and his health improved immediately. That was like a new lease on life for him.
There are no reasons to NOT go there, and many, many reasons to go there.
Together with a sugar tax, we can afford to do this, so why not do it?
“If the Government chooses to ignore the recommendations of the Parliamentary Senate Inquiry, what’s the point of the Inquiry? Has it all been a whitewash and a show pony?”
It seems that this government is keen to have these enquiries but not so keen to implement any or all of the recommendations from the enquiries.
Is it just another way to transfer public funds to their mates, just like the LNP does, or are they truly so out of touch with the people for whom they make decisions.
Qld has free dental for seniors who have a Qld Seniors Card which is available to all seniors over the age of 65.
I have used it for 10 years and the service is excellent, if you have an emergency and they don’t have an appointment space for you they will give you a voucher so that you can go to a private dental practice of your choice, if it is on their list of dental providers, which is extensive.
Items like dental care always seem to be around as promises in the run up to elections then quickly forgotten and shelved until the next election cycle.