Increased Demand for Free Dental Clinics in Australia
Charities and dental clinics have witnessed a huge increase in demand for free dental care over the last few years as a result of the global recession, it has been revealed.
The Shire Dental Centre in Miranda is just one of many clinics experiencing a significant increase in demand for free treatment. Patients are referred to the centre by the Salvation Army and many of them have not visited a dentist for several years.
Dentists Blanche Tsetong and Peter Bouboulos host a free dental clinic at the centre four times per year and each time more and more people turn out, with some people willing to stand in line for hours to secure an appointment.
Blanche Testong said that many people are now sacrificing dental care because they have to prioritise household costs, such as rent, mortgage payments and bills. At the end of the month, after everything has been paid for, there is often very little left in the coffers to pay for dental care, especially if you are faced with the prospect of a complex course of treatment and this is why a growing number of people are delaying or cancelling appointments.
Dr Tsetong said that the free clinics are a means of reaching out to those in need and she also provides free dental care for prisoners.
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