Dental health loses out in Budget
Oral health was one of the biggest losers in yesterday’s Budget, as government ministers announced that the $3 billion Chronic Dental Disease Scheme will be axed.
The scheme has helped to fund complex dental work through the Medicare system; however, the government has announced that this scheme will be axed and a new $53 million scheme will be introduced to reward dentists who complete training in the public system. The new programme will hopefully encourage trainee dentists to undertake internships in rural and remote areas, where there is a severe shortage of dentists and lengthy waiting lists.
Dentists are worried that the new measures will isolate patients who need dental care but do not have the money to pay for the treatment they need; for chronically ill patients, the cost of dental care will now be much higher and this could prevent them from getting the relevant treatment.
Dr Bruce Simmons has worked as a dentist in Alice Springs for more than 30 years and he is worried about people on a low income and Indigenous Australians, as access to affordable dental care is poor. Dr Simmons makes regular trips to Indigenous communities and he claims that standards of oral health have deteriorated; he says that the recent news about the Budget means that the future is bleak for people who rely on financial support from the state.
The Australian Dental Association did not support the Chronic Dental Disease Scheme; however, representatives said that many vulnerable people will lose out until the scheme is replaced with another one which takes their needs into consideration.
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