Waiting Times For Children’s Dental Treatment Increase In New South Wales
Waiting times for children’s dental care have increased in New South Wales, according to recent figures.
For the first time ever, waiting times for adult treatment in Sydney fell, but waiting times for children increased significantly. In South West Sydney, waiting times increased by 22 per cent, while times were up by 15 per cent in West Sydney and 3 per cent in New South Wales. In stark contrast, waiting times for adults were reduced by 35 per cent.
The figures show that 27,000 people have been treated in New South Wales and 50,000 adults and children have received dental care in Queensland, where waiting times for public dental care have also fallen.
Albert Yaacoub, director of the Oral Health Service in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, said that this was the first time that the trend had been reversed in New South Wales and welcomed the statistics for adult treatment. Even in recent years, waiting lists for adults have been very long and the fact that times are decreasing is very positive; however, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure that children are able to get the treatment they need faster.
The cuts in adult waiting times are largely due to additional federal funding worth $111 million, which will pay for additional dental services until March 2014.
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