New Zealand Dental Service Comes Under Fire
A mother from Blenheim, New Zealand has criticised the local dental service, claiming that it is letting children down.
Tracey Marshall, who has a son aged seven stated that the service is failing children, as they are behind with routine dental check-ups. Marshall said that her son has only seen a dental therapist once since he started school and he has not had a check-up since early last year.
Tracey believes that children should have regular check-ups to prevent oral diseases and the current system will leave a whole generation susceptible to poor oral health.
Members of the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board committee were informed last week that the Blenheim and Nelson dental services were far behind in providing dental checks for children. The Blenheim dental service is around 9-10 months behind, while the Nelson service is around 12 months behind.
Stephanie Read, public health and oral health service manager said that it would take time for the new service to reduce the backlog after the school clinics were closed.
In December 2010, before the school clinics closed, nine percent of children were due a check-up but the figure rose to 49 percent in December 2011. The figure has dropped slightly to 40 percent now that the new service is fully operational.
Ms Marshall contacted the Blenheim service two weeks ago to make an appointment for her son and she was shocked when she was informed that appointments were only available for children who were due a check-up in September last year.
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