The nation’s dentists have described as a wasted opportunity the Government’s failure to properly consider funding dental services for Australia’s most vulnerable populations.
The Government has released its response to the Inquiry of the 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).
A key ADA recommendation was to implement a Seniors Dental Benefits Schedule similar to that of the 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 $15b a decade compared with trying to include dental into Medicare for every Australian, at a cost of at least $77b a decade,” ADA president Dr Scott Davis said.
“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.
“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.”
Data from the Council on the Ageing shows 40 per cent of over 55s delayed dental treatment in the last 12 months due to cost, increasing to 44 per cent 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 CDBS to be extended for services under general anaesthetic which would have helped improve this issue.
“Doesn’t the government realise 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?” Dr Davis said.
“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.”
