Subsidies for Dental Care May Make No Difference
The President of the New Zealand Dental Association has suggested that subsidised dental care will not make a difference to standards of oral health in New Zealand.
John Bell said, that statistics from countries where dental care is subsidised suggest that there may not be a significant difference in standards of oral health if subsidised treatment was introduced in New Zealand. Talking on television, Mr Bell, said that attendance was higher in New Zealand than in the UK, where dental care is subsidised by the NHS.
Statistics show that 44 percent of New Zealanders do not visit their dentist on a regular basis, but according to Mr Bell, the figures are not as worrying as they may seem. The figure of 44 percent refers to the proportion of people who attend an annual check up and Mr Bell said that the figures for a two year period were much more positive.
Mr Bell was also asked about the cost of dental treatment, following advice from a consumer expert, which advised people who could not afford dental treatment to go ahead and have treatment and then tell their dentist they did not have the money to pay for it. In response, Mr Bell said that he did not support the advice offered by Kevin Milne but agreed that costs are becoming too high, which is making dental care inaccessible to many. Bell blames successive governments for failing to recognise dental health as a component of general health.
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