Cranbourne patients facing three year wait for dental treatment
A recent study has revealed that low income families from Cranbourne, Australia are facing a three year wait for dental treatment.
The Teeth First Study, which was conducted by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, also revealed patients are waiting around 29 months for dentures and 38 months for a general check-up. Senior research and policy manager at the Brotherhood, Michael Horn, said this latest figures was a reflection of the poor standards of dental provision across Australia. Mr Horn went on to say that dental health was largely ignored by health executives and minsters and people were consequently suffering from poor standards of care.
Mr Horn argued that the poor standards of dental healthcare were affecting people psychologically, as well as in terms of their physiological health; people with dental problems often suffer from a lack of self-confidence and feel uncomfortable in social situations. It has also been reported that lengthy waiting lists are resulting in people resorting to drastic action to solve their dental health problems; people are taking their health into their own hands by taking medication and extracting their own teeth.
Representatives from the Brotherhood of St Laurence have called for increased state funding for dental care; currently, thousands of people are not able to access affordable dental care and many are facing lengthy waits for treatment.
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