Dentists are pleading with the federal government to set up dental schemes for our most vulnerable populations including seniors - or take responsibility for the oral health decline of millions of Australians.
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"We made our case loud and clear at the Senate inquiry into dental access currently underway - prioritise setting up affordable dental schemes for seniors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the disabled and those on low wages," said the new Australian Dental Association president Dr Scott Davis, who stepped into the peak body top role this week.
"Then the federal government would be going a long way to addressing one of the biggest health crises we're facing right now. The Health Minister Mark Butler has inferred he'd work with us on achieving this once the Senate Inquiry releases its findings early next year - so the ADA looks forward to working with him and the Department of Health putting those words into actions."
The association maintains the current public system, while proving excellent care, is drastically underfunded and oversubscribed so people wait two or more years for appointments.
Also with the short-term arrangements under Future Funding Agreements, dentists don't have job security of more than two years at a time, so the system disincentivises dentists from working in the public sector.
One in three Australian adults has untreated tooth decay and one in three have untreated periodontitis which is a precursor to a range of serious health issues from heart disease to Alzheimer's, stroke, kidney disease and low birthweight and premature babies.
Dr Davis, a Port Macquarie prosthodontist, said the remedy to the problem was simple and provided a safety net for the disadvantaged.
"Don't try and shoehorn dentistry into Medicare - that would cost at least $7.6 billion a year. Instead utilise the existing Dental Benefits Act legislation and the Child Dental Benefits Schedule framework to set up a similar scheme for the nation's 200,000 seniors in aged care.
"That would cost just $100 million a year which is a drop in the ocean in comparison."
The association has been pushing for a Seniors Dental Benefit Schedule and wants to see similar schemes set up for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, for the disabled and those on low incomes.
"It's not hard and it's a whole lot cheaper and more financially sustainable than putting dental into Medicare when all that will do is provide the most very basic care for most Australians and won't pay for much beyond the occasional checkup and clean."
The final report of the Senate Select Committee is due in February 2024.
