Dental Group Calls for Urgent Improvements in Dental Care
A dental action group based in New South Wales, Australia, is calling for urgent action to improve access to dental care, following the release of a report, which shows that most Australians cannot afford dental treatment.
Members of the Illawarra Dental Action Group said that they were not surprised by the results of the survey, which revealed that many people are struggling to afford dental care. A report compiled by the brotherhood of St Laurence revealed that 17 percent of Australians have no teeth at all, which is largely due to the fact the people who are unemployed or have low income jobs cannot afford routine dental treatment.
Economists estimate that poor oral health has cost the economy more than $1 billion. In response to the statistics, Alice Scott, from the Illawarra Dental Action Group, said that it was time to bring in a universal dental scheme funded by Medicare, She also added that all other parts of the body are covered by Medicare, but for some reason oral health is not considered as important as general health, despite numerous studies showing a link between poor oral health and an increased risk of serious, potentially life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes.
Ms Scott added that money invested in the short-term would save a huge amount of money in the long-run, as routine treatments are much cheaper than complex courses of treatment, which are likely to develop if people wait years to see a dentist because they cannot afford treatment.
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