Australian Dental Association Hopes To Relocate Dentists
The Australian Dental Association has denied allegations that there is a shortage of dentists in Queensland and insists that there are adequate dentists to cater for state residents. The ADA said that the distribution of dentists, not the number of dentists was the problem.
ADA Queensland President, Andrew Wong, said that there are plenty of dentists in Queensland; however, most of them are based in Brisbane, leaving many communities in the state, especially remote areas, without adequate services.
Dr Wong said that people were struggling to access the care they needed due to “maldistribution” of dentists; the same can be said of doctors, pharmacists and physiotherapists.
Dr Wong said that he hoped that additional funding allocated to dental services by the federal government could be used to encourage some dentists to leave the city and take up posts in underserved areas.
Dr Wong said that it was clear that there needs to be a redistribution of dentists and he is confident that this will happen in the near future.
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