Australia - A system in decay Deborah Cole

A system in decay Deborah Cole
January 8, 2012
Australia is in desperate need of a national dental health scheme, writes Deborah Cole.

HERE'S what we know for sure: poor dental health is costing the Australian economy up to $2 billion a year. Dental decay is connected to major chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia. Diseases of the mouth are a key marker of social disparity and yet almost all oral diseases are largely preventable.

A report recently published by the Brotherhood of St Lawrence, End the Decay: The cost of poor dental health and what should be done about it, found that poor dental health is costing the Australian economy between $1.3 billion and $2 billion a year in direct and indirect costs, including avoidable hospital admissions, lost productivity and induced illnesses such as periodontal-related coronary heart disease.

Yet dental care constitutes only 6 per cent of national health spending, and a large amount of that spending is out-of-pocket expense by the individual.

Advertisement: Story continues below It's time to act. We need to introduce a universal dental scheme so that everyone who needs to see the dentist for basic healthcare can.

Research shows that in the past two years, almost 2 million Australians who needed dental care were unable to get treatment because they couldn't afford it.

So it's no surprise that children from low socio-economic areas have 70 per cent more dental decay than children whose parents are well off. Adults on low incomes are 60 times more likely to have no teeth than prosperous people.

Visiting the dentist can be an expensive exercise. Many Australians cannot afford to see a private dentist and, when they try to access public dental services, they are faced with long waiting lists - a national average of more than two years. As a result, poor dental health has reached epidemic proportions. Our children and those experiencing financial hardship are suffering the most.

In November, I met the National Advisory Council on Dental Health to advocate a universal dental scheme.

In the lead-up to my meeting, I collected stories from everyday Australians who are suffering from poor dental health. Some of the people who shared their stories were under the age of 35 and had none of their natural teeth left. That simply isn't good enough.

We need a system that helps people get the care they need when they need it. A system that encourages education, prevention and early intervention of oral disease. A system that will enable Australians to access dental care before their oral health becomes so bad that their only option is to have their teeth extracted.

Dental health is a vital component of general health and wellbeing. A 2010 study found that a person who has fewer than 10 of their natural teeth left is seven times more likely to die of coronary disease than someone with more than 25 of their own teeth. A report, reviewing almost 100 publications, released by Dental Health Services Victoria last month, explains how poor oral health has also been linked to diabetes, respiratory diseases, stroke, kidney diseases, dementia and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

In addition to its links to chronic diseases, dental health has a huge impact on people's everyday lives. Poor dental health affects people's ability to eat, speak, socialise and find work. Many Australians who have lost some or all of their natural teeth are too embarrassed to leave their homes for fear of ridicule and judgment.....

Fluoridated Australia.